The lawyers representing Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley are trying to get life without parole taken off the table as a possible sentence, ABC News 12 reported.
"The shooting on Nov. 30, 2021, killed four students: 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, 17-year-old Justin Shilling, 16-year-old Tate Myre and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana. Six other students and a teacher were injured," reported Ryan Jeltema. "Crumbley was 15 years old when he carried out the shooting. Prosecutors say the real issue is whether life in prison without parole should be an option when the crime is committed by a teenager."
Usually in Michigan, first-degree murder charges carry an automatic sentence of life without parole. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that mandatory life without parole for minors violates the Eighth Amendment, meaning in this case the court has discretion to decide.
Among other things, attorneys representing Crumbley will debate whether he is "irreparably corrupt" and, per the Detroit Free Press, will argue that his "difficult home life" should be a factor.
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This comes as his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors argue they were aware of their son's mental health issues and his "proficiency with firearms" but did not seek any treatment for him and purchased the murder weapon for him as a gift — and that they fled their home the night of the shooting, taking the receipt of purchase for the firearm with them, which implies consciousness of guilt.
