PONTIAC, Mich. — Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty Monday to 24 charges related to the Nov. 30 Oxford High School mass shooting that killed four students and wounded seven other people and for the first time revealed key details about the gun he used in the rampage, a development that could impact the criminal case against his parents.
In Oakland County Circuit Court, Crumbley said he gave his father the money to buy the gun and that the weapon was not locked up on the day of the shooting. Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have been accused by prosecutors of "gross negligence" that led to the killings and face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty on four counts each of involuntary manslaughter.
It was the first time the 16-year-old, who pleaded guilty Monday to criminal charges including first-degree murder and terrorism, detailed how he got the weapon, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said at a press conference after the hearing.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said Ethan Crumbley's Monday admissions in court were the first time he had detailed how he obtained the gun used in the Nov. 30 Oxford High School shooting.
"He did say in his own words that his father bought the gun with his money that he gave to his father, and that it was not locked. And those facts are very important," McDonald said. "For his case, we charged him, and he's been convicted of terrorism, and it goes to his state of mind and his preparation and premeditation so that is why that was part of his plea."
McDonald declined to comment on whether the new gun details would be used in the case against Crumbley's parents who are awaiting trial at a still-to-be-determined date in January.
Ethan Crumbley's comments in court contradicted earlier statements by his parents, according to court documents. The parents have maintained they had no idea their son posed a threat to anyone and the gun police said they took from him had been hidden in a locked drawer in their bedroom, attorneys for the couple wrote in a court filing last year. The attorneys wrote in the filing that "the Crumbleys did have the gun at issue in a locked and hidden location."
Crumbley made the admissions while pleading guilty to 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Students Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17, were killed in the shooting.
Defense attorney Shannon Smith, who represents Jennifer Crumbley, said she couldn't comment on her client's son's admissions during his plea because of the gag order imposed on lawyers by Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews, who is overseeing the parents' case.
One legal expert said he does not believe Ethan Crumbley's Monday statements would factor heavily in that case unless he testified on the matter.
"It would be hard to admit that evidence in any way unless Ethan is testifying, which is unlikely," Birmingham defense lawyer Wade Fink told The Detroit News. "The public should understand that the evidence rules are very restrictive in a criminal case about what a jury can hear. It will be difficult to use this directly against the parents. ... You can't just use his words from his plea because that would be hearsay."
The Crumbley parents' attorneys have said they might call Ethan Crumbley as a witness. McDonald's office has not indicated it would call the 16-year-old.
While Ethan Crumbley's comments' might not affect the parents' case much, Fink said they helped bolster "Karen McDonald's position that the parents have some accountability here."
But Detroit attorney Ven Johnson, who has civil lawsuits pending against the school district and employees, said he thought Crumbley's admissions will have a significant impact on the parents’ defense but didn't indicate how.
“They through their attorneys have indicated the handgun was always locked up,” Johnson said. “He said under oath today it was not, and he also brought it to school in his backpack. It was always accessible to him. It wasn’t in a gun safe or locker. It wasn’t locked.
“I think these and other things today are very significant.”
Legal experts are debating the impact of Ethan Crumbley's statement that the gun he used in the Nov. 30 Oxford High School shooting was unlocked and accessible in his home.
When asked about the possibility of federal gun charges, McDonald said "we are in constant contact with our federal counterparts." But she said she did not know if there would be any at this time.
McDonald has argued in court filings that there was a “pathway to violence” provided to the shooter by his parents’ behavior, and she wants to hear from experts about this. The FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit has recognized that the “pathway to violence” is a “set of behaviors” leading up to an act of targeted violence, such as a mass shooting.
Defense attorneys described the area of study as “relatively novel" and argued “there is not consistency among research findings." Matthews agreed with defense attorneys Smith and Mariell Lehman that one proposed prosecution expert witness won't be allowed to testify because the proposal came after a court deadline.
Smith and Lehman have argued McDonald will have a difficult time proving gross negligence by James and Jennifer Crumbley, who are accused of buying the Sig Sauer Model SP 2022 9mm semi-automatic handgun for their son, who was 15 at the time, as a Christmas present.
"... the prosecution will not be able to prove that the Crumbleys willfully disregarded any fact or circumstance that caused harm to another, that they knew their son was a danger to other students, or that they knew there was a situation that required them to take care to avoid injuring another," the couple's attorneys wrote in the filing.
Authorities have said on the day of the shooting, on a piece of paper in front of Crumbley, the teacher saw the words: "the thoughts won't stop, help me" and a drawing of a bullet and the phrase: "blood everywhere." There was a sketch of a person shot twice and bleeding, a laughing emoji and the final lines: “my life is useless” and “the world is dead.”
The day before the shooting, the teen was seen searching for ammunition on his phone, the prosecutor has previously said. The school reached out to Jennifer Crumbley but never heard back, McDonald said.
Jennifer later texted Ethan about the episode: “LOL, I’m not gonna get mad at you, you have to learn to not get caught.”
During what was supposed to be a routine pretrial hearing on Monday, Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast asked Crumbley about the 9 mm gun that was used in the shooting.
"Is it true that the firearm that you used on Nov. 30th was purchased on Nov. 26th, 2021, by your father James Crumbley?"
Ethan Crumbley, center, comes into court Monday with attorney Paulette Michel Loftin, left. Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 charges and detailed how he got the gun used in the Nov. 30 Oxford High School rampage.
The 16-year-old responded yes and confirmed he asked his father to buy the gun, which he picked out, and paid for it with his own money.
When Keast asked Crumbley if the gun used in the shooting was not kept in a safe or locked container, Crumbley asked him to repeat the question.
"Is it true on Nov. 30th, 2021, when you obtained the firearm it was not kept in a locked container or safe," Keast asked.
"Yes, it was not locked," Crumbley replied.
Judge Kwame Rowe set a Feb. 9 court hearing where the prosecution and defense will present testimony and evidence about the fatal shootings and Crumbley's background. After that hearing, McDonald said, the judge will decide whether life without parole is warranted.
McDonald said “this is an important day for the community” and noted Crumbley’s plea will provide an opportunity for every person who felt victimized by the Nov. 30 shooting to come before Rowe and make a statement before the still-to-be-determined sentencing date.
“I just came from a meeting with (Oxford) families and assured them there were no plans for reducing a sentence or a sentencing agreement,” McDonald said. “… This is some small closure. I sat with victims and this is hard for them.”
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who joined McDonald at the press conference, said he was glad an “evil and twisted person would be held accountable” in the shooting.
Bouchard said he believes the incident could have been even worse with a higher death toll if deputies hadn’t taken Crumbley into custody.
“He still had 18 rounds, and I believe he would have used every one of them,” Bouchard said. “I hope he gets life without parole.”
Judge Matthews has set a Friday hearing to determine the admissibility of the prosecutor’s proposed expert testimony in the parents' case.
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( Detroit News staff writers George Hunter, Jennifer Chambers and Mark Hicks contributed to this story.)
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