Advertisement

Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley to plead insanity, documents say

A memorial is set up outside Oxford High School for four students who were killed in a shooting at the school in November. File Photo by Nic Antaya/EPA-EFE
1 of 5 | A memorial is set up outside Oxford High School for four students who were killed in a shooting at the school in November. File Photo by Nic Antaya/EPA-EFE

Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The 15-year-old student accused of bringing a handgun to Detroit-area high school last fall and killing four of his classmates will plead insanity at his murder trial, according to a court filing on Thursday.

Attorneys for Ethan Crumbley briefly acknowledged the plan in documents that were submitted with a court in Oakland County.

Advertisement

Crumbley is accused of bringing a handgun that his father had bought for him to Oxford High School last Nov. 30 and shooting several classmates. Four died and several were injured.

Oxford is located about 30 miles northwest of Detroit.

The notice filed with the court said, "Please take notice that pursuant to MCL 769.20a the defendant Ethan Crumbley intends to assert the defense of insanity at the time of the alleged offense and gives his notice of his intention to claim such a defense," according to the Detroit News.

Michigan law provides for an insanity defense if a defendant "lacks substantial capacity either to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his or her conduct or to conform his or her conduct to the requirements of the law."

Crumbley has been charged with 24 felony counts related to the shooting attack -- including first-degree murder and committing a terrorist act causing death. He is being charged as an adult.

Advertisement

A civil suit was also announced against teachers and counselors at the high school and Crumbley's parents -- Jennifer and James Crumbley, who themselves are also facing involuntary manslaughter charges related to their son's attack. Prosecutors said last month that both ignored disturbing text messages and other red flags about his mental state prior to the violence.

Attorney Ven Johnson, who announced the civil suit on behalf of the parents of victim Tate Myre, said that it's his opinion that Crumbley exhibited signs of mental illness, but not legal insanity.

A defendant in Michigan who's found to be insane at the time of the crime becomes a ward of the state and receives psychological treatment, but is not imprisoned.

Latest Headlines