Oxford High Shooting Suspect Ethan Crumbley to Plead Insanity
Attorneys for accused gunman Ethan Crumbley filed a motion last Thursday to plead insanity in his case stemming from the Oxford High School shooting on November 30, 2020. Fifteen-year-old Crumbley will be evaluated at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
Crumbley stands accused of the November 30, 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan which killed four students and injured seven others. The victims who died in the attack have been identified as fifteen-year-old Hana St. Juliana, sixteen-year-old Tate Myre, seventeen-year-old Justin Shilling, and seventeen-year-old Madisyn Baldwin.
Crumbley was quickly charged as an adult and initially pleaded not guilty to twenty-four charges according to People. Those include: one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with the intent to murder, and twelve counts of possession of firearms.
Legal experts on both sides of this case have claimed that a plea of insanity is a practical legal strategy according to criminal lawyer Arnold Reed. With the crime Crumbley is accused of, he would still be sent to some form of rehabilitative prison even if he were to be deemed unfit to stand trial.
Prosecutor Mark Keast has videos, numerous witnesses, and public drawings which the suspect altered when he was caught with them before the shooting. The drawings say phrases like “blood everywhere” and “the thoughts won’t stop” as well as a gun on one, according to WXYZ Detroit. These drawings were found only hours before the shooting took place.
Videos were also found on Crumbleys’ cell phone which were filmed the night before where he spoke about shooting and killing his classmates. The gun believed to have been used in the shooting was posted to Crumbley’s Instagram account just days beforehand. The gun was an early Christmas gift from his parents James and Jennifer.
Ethan Crumbley’s parents James and Jennifer have been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and have plead not guilty. Prosecutor Keast has alleged that his parents were negligent in addressing Ethan’s mental health well before the shooting. Ethan searched for guns and school shootings so much on the internet that he began getting spam advertisements regarding guns and mental health.
James, Jennifer, and Ethan Crumbley are all currently housed in the Oakland County jail. At this time, Crumbley’s psychiatric evaluation has not been scheduled.
Photo: CLEMIS Inmate Locator/Oakland County Jail
