Four students were killed and seven others were injured in a mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021. The night before the shooting, Ethan Crumbley recorded audio claiming, “I am going to be the next school shooter.”
On Thursday, at a hearing to decide whether he should spend the rest of his life in prison without parole, prosecutors played the audio from two video clips. “My name is Ethan Crumbley, age 15, and I am going to be the next school shooter,” he is heard saying on the audio played in court.
“I’ve thought about this a lot. I can’t stop thinking about it. But it’s constantly in my head.” As the recording was being played, Crumbley looked to be looking at the defense table. After listening to the first audio recording, Crumbley stated, “I’m gonna have so much fun tomorrow.”
The tweet below verifies the news:
Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley recorded audio saying ‘I’m gonna have so much fun’ the night before the carnage, evidence shows https://t.co/yuCSZ1PNVk
— Erie News Now (@ErieNewsNow) July 27, 2023
Crumbley discusses his personal downfall, his hatred for humanity, and his desire to “teach others a lesson” by killing innocent schoolchildren in the tapes. “I will walk behind someone, and I will shoot a bullet into their skull. And that’s the first victim,” he said.
“I’m gonna open fire on everyone in the hallway … I will try to hit as many people as I can. I will reload, and I will find people hiding. I want to teach them a lesson of how they are wrong, of how they are being brainwashed.” As the trial went on, more and more police officers were summoned to the courtroom.
Journal entries written by Crumbley were read aloud in court earlier on Thursday. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald argued in her opening statement that Crumbley deserves a life sentence because he planned the shooting in advance and has a history of violent behavior.
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Paulette Loftin, Crumbley’s attorney, claims the defense will prove her client is not “irreparably corrupt” and deserves a shorter prison time.
On Thursday, Lt. Timothy Willis of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, who was in charge of the shooting investigation, appeared as the first prosecution witness and said that in January, Crumbley had gotten through the tablet’s security measures and viewed a violent website.
Crumbley tried to erase his search history from the phone before police found it, and the lieutenant said the kid told them he couldn’t “resist” going back to the site he frequented before the incident.
After Crumbley’s rucksack was found in a school restroom following the massacre, prosecutor Marc Keast went through it with Willis, underlining passages outlining his plans written weeks and months before the slaughter.
According to what Keast told the court, Crumbley put several of his journaled intentions into action. A comment said, “I want to shoot up the school so f**king badly.” “The first victim has to be a pretty girl with a future so she can suffer just like me,” Crumbley wrote in another.
The lieutenant stated that the first casualty was a female student named Phoebe Arthur. “I will continue shooting people until police breach the building,” Crumbley wrote. “I will then surrender to them and plead guilty to life in prison.”
In October, Crumbley admitted to the 15-year-old high school shooting he perpetrated by pleading guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, and 19 other offenses.
Crumbley Googled several questions regarding the death penalty and prison sentences for 15-year-olds in Michigan in the week leading up to the massacre. The lieutenant also said that Crumbley had Googled, “What is worst prison sentence you can get in Michigan,” the night before the incident.
Willis went on to detail a long chain of journal entries and text communications with an anonymous buddy, all of which went into graphic detail about how Crumbley tortured and killed newborn birds.
Willis stated that he saw a video of Crumbley abusing and killing a chick. The judge decided not to show the video. Willis said the teen shooter seemed happy as he tortured the bird.
Later, Crumbley texted a friend about how much he relished the suffering and how strong the need to kill remained.
During his testimony, Willis became visibly upset while discussing the day of the incident. As he read through the names of the dead and injured, he choked up and paused sometimes.
Defense focused on Crumbley’s life at home
Willis testified for almost three hours, during which time Loftin read further diary entries in which the gunman expressed a desire for assistance in overcoming his unpleasant emotions. Crumbley wrote, “Send me to the office and I will tell them about the bird head and you will have help.”
It only takes one phone call to save many lives. I used to enjoy being evil, but now I’m sick of it and want to be good. I need assistance, but my folks won’t listen to me. I’m stuck in a tiny sadness loop. To further emphasize Crumbley’s troubled home life, the defense attorney also questioned Willis about the criminal inquiry against Crumbley’s parents.
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Loftin reviewed police interviews with witnesses who claimed to have heard his parents arguing frequently and seen Ethan crying. She also emphasized the abusive upbringing Crumbley had prior to and following the shooting. Crumbley documented a time when his family was hungry due to financial difficulties in a journal entry.
When I woke up this morning, my mother was in the midst of one of her worst tantrums, lamenting the fact that we had no money and are unable to pay our expenses. This only makes me more determined to either storm the school or else cause mayhem. Because I am a burden on my parents, I have lost all hope and joy in life,” Crumbley stated.
Thursday morning, prosecutors showed silent security footage of the incident. Members of the family watched the video with tears in their eyes.
The prosecution also presented the testimony of Oakland County Sheriff’s Office forensic laboratory investigator Robert Koteles, who stated that Crumbley shot a 9 mm pistol 32 times during the massacre.
Shooting Victim’s Tense Exchange with Defense Attorney
Molly Darnell, a teacher at the school at the time, testified on Thursday afternoon that she stared at Crumbley through a window before he raised his gun and pointed it at her. Darnell claimed that she had been trying to lock a door’s safety mechanism when she jumped to the right.
Her left arm was punctured and subsequently pierced again by a bullet. Months later, she learned that if she hadn’t reacted, the bullet would have entered her heart. Darnell said in court that she waited for police to arrive by making a tourniquet out of her sweater and hiding in an office.
Darnell sent a “I love you” SMS to her spouse. There was an active shooter, she said. They no longer have her on staff at Oxford High. She testified through sobs that she wanted to remain on the job but found it too challenging.
Amy Hopp, a defense attorney, questioned Darnell on the stand, asking if, as a teacher, she would have reported Crumbley’s home circumstances and how she would have dealt with a pupil with behavioral issues like Crumbley.
Prosecutor McDonald raised objections, saying it was harassing to ask a shooting victim such a personal question. Darnell stated she had never met Crumbley before the stressful moment when he pointed a gun at her.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to recover from a wound like this? So that I may recover, I stay away from as much as possible. While on the stand, she stated, “Learning about what happened is not part of my healing process.”
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Prosecution Argues for Sentence of Life Without Parole
Crumbley, if convicted as an adult, would face the maximum penalty under Michigan statute of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The court must convene a hearing to determine whether or not he should be eligible for eventual release because of his age.
The Miller hearing gets its name from the Miller v. Alabama Supreme Court case, which overturned mandatory life without parole penalties for juvenile offenders. The hearing will begin on Thursday and go into next week if necessary.
Crumbley should get a mandatory life term, according to the prosecution. The prospect of rehabilitation and Crumbley’s young age will be used as mitigating factors by his attorneys as they argue that a life sentence without parole is excessive.
Before Crumbley’s Miller hearing this week, his attorneys urged the judge to remove the potential of life without parole. Their pleas to limit witnesses and to have Crumbley appear in street clothes were also dismissed by Judge Kwame Rowe. On Friday morning, the trial will continue.
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