Michigan school shooter loses bid to withdraw guilty plea in 4 deaths

PONTIAC, MI — A judge on Thursday refused to allow a Michigan school shooter to withdraw his guilty plea to 20 charges, including terrorism and first-degree murder.

Ethan Crumbley’s attorneys cited his mental health and other factors when he waived his right to a trial at age 16. pleaded guilty to the murder of four students at Oxford High School in 2021.

But Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe said Crumbley’s guilty plea was “given knowingly, voluntarily and accurately.”

The judge also said he would not set aside Crumbley’s life sentence.

“These are the right decisions under the law, and they allow us to continue doing the most important things: focusing on the victims and their families, and on preventing future shootings,” said Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

Crumbley, now 18, was 15 when he brought a gun to school and killed four students and injured others.

Earlier that day, his parents were called to discuss violent drawings and painful sentences written for a math assignment. They didn’t take him home and no one checked his backpack for a gun.

James and Jennifer Crumbley do serving a ten-year prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter. They were accused of making a gun accessible at home and ignoring their son’s mental health.

They were the first American parents convicted for a school shooting committed by their child.