The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to review the life-without-parole sentence of Ethan Crumbley, the former Oxford High School student who killed four classmates and injured seven others in a 2021 shooting.
In an order issued on September 17, the state's highest court directed the Michigan Court of Appeals to examine a number of issues, including whether Crumbley had an ineffective lawyer, whether a judge abused his discretion in concluding that prosecutors provided enough evidence to support a mandatory life-without-parole sentence, and whether comments Crumbley made during his sentencing waived his right to an appeal.
The Supreme Court did not, however, send the case back to the trial court.
"In all other respects, leave to appeal is denied, because we are not persuaded that the remaining questions presented should be reviewed by this court. The motion to remand to the trial court is denied," the order states.
The decision comes more than a year after the Michigan Court of Appeals denied Crumbley's requests to withdraw his guilty plea or be resentenced. In October 2022, Crumbley pleaded guilty to all charges against him and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a rampage that cost four students their lives: 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-olds Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling, and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana. Six students and a teacher were also injured.
Defense argues for a chance at freedom
Defense lawyers have argued that Crumbley deserves an opportunity at eventual freedom given his age and mental health challenges, which were a major part of the original case.
"We're encouraged that the Court of Appeals will take a closer look at the issues in Ethan's case... and we welcome the chance to make our case in full," attorney Jaqueline Ouvry of the State Appellate Defender Office said in a statement.
At issue for Ouvry is Crumbley's guilty plea, which waived his right to an appeal. Had he gone to trial instead, she said, he would have been guaranteed a right to appeal.
"Because he pleaded guilty, his meritorious legal issues have never received thorough appellate review," Ouvry said. "The Supreme Court's decision matters because it's an opportunity for the court to dig into questions that, until now, have largely gone unexamined."
Prosecution stands by sentence
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she welcomes the judicial scrutiny but stands by her decision to pursue the stiffest penalty possible.
"As I have previously stated, life without parole (LWOP) sentences for juveniles are exceedingly rare and should be imposed only in the most serious and egregious cases, after a careful review of all facts. The Oxford High School shooting is one such case, which is why I vigorously argued for a life without parole sentence," McDonald said in a statement.
"At the same time, I acknowledge that this appellate process is difficult for all victims. The entire Oxford community, especially the families of Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hanna St. Juliana, and Justin Shilling, remain in my thoughts. My office will continue to support them at every stage of the appellate process."
The sentencing
The Supreme Court's review scrutinizes the decisions of Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe, who oversaw the guilty plea and handed down the sentence after hearing emotional testimony from the victims' parents.
Craig Shilling, whose son Justin was killed in a school bathroom, implored the judge: "I'm going to ask you to lock this son of a bitch up for the rest of his pathetic life. My son doesn't get a second chance, and neither should he."
In sentencing, Rowe noted that Crumbley himself did not ask for a sentence that might allow eventual parole, even though his lawyers did. Rowe pointed to Crumbley's extensive planning, his obsession with violence, his stated desire for notoriety, and his unwillingness to change his mind when given the chance.
"He wanted to see the impact of his own crime, which is why he didn't take his own life," Rowe said. "He chose not to die on that day, because he wanted the notoriety. The terror that he caused in the state of Michigan, and in Oxford, is a true act of terrorism."
Core legal question: juvenile rehabilitation
At the heart of the case is the question of whether juveniles can be rehabilitated. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that juveniles may not be automatically sentenced to life without parole, and case law has created a standard reserving such sentences only for the rare juvenile for whom rehabilitation is impossible.
In sentencing, Rowe concluded: "Respectfully, he is the rare juvenile before this court."
Rowe also found that Crumbley's mental illness, for which depression and anxiety were cited in court, did not interfere with his ability to carry out his crimes.
Crumbley's own statements at sentencing are also part of the appeal. "We are all here because of me today, what I did... because of what I chose to do. I could not stop myself," Crumbley said, maintaining that only he was to blame, not the school or his parents.
The rampage also drew international attention for the criminal prosecution of Crumbley's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, who became the first parents in America to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child. Both were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and are serving 10-year prison sentences. They are also appealing their convictions.