PONTIAC, Mich. — A stoic Ethan Crumbley admitted to an Oakland County judge Monday that he went on a shooting rampage in Oxford High School last year that left four of his classmates dead and seven others wounded.
In what was initially to be a routine in-person pretrial hearing before Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe, Crumbley’s attorneys Monday entered the guilty plea to 24 criminal charges including terrorism causing death and first-degree murder, which carry up to life in prison.
During the hearing that commenced 21 minutes after the scheduled 8:30 a.m. start time, Crumbley, his left hand manacled to a waist chain, answered a series of questions from an assistant prosecutor.
"Is it true that your actions on Nov. 30, 2021 caused the deaths of (students Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling), and that it was your intention to kill them?"
"Yes," the 16-year old replied in a soft voice, nodding.
Following the questioning, the judge said: "I accept the plea."
The 26-minute hearing concluded after the judge set a Feb. 9 in-person hearing. "We must continue to conduct a review hearing every 30 days because the defendant is a minor," the judge added, setting that hearing for next month.
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