What Happened to Ethan Crumbley?

Setting a legal precedent, James and Jennifer Crumbley, school shooter Ethan Crumbley‘s parents, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter stemming from their son’s 2021 shooting at Oxford High School near Detroit. So, what happened to Crumbley, the one who pulled the trigger?

On Nov. 30, 2021, Crumbley, who was then 15 years old, opened fire at his school, killing four students and injuring seven others, including one teacher. Crumbley was charged with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, and 19 other charges, according to CNN.

Crumbley’s parents were later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in two separate trials for ignoring signs of trouble in their son and for not restricting his access to firearms. Crumbley’s parents denied they had any knowledge of Ethan’s plans.

Ethan Crumbley was charged as an adult

After the 2021 shooting at Oxnard High School, Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty and, two years later, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole. The judge in the case said Crumbley’s obsession with violence both before and after the attack contributed to his decision to seek the harshest penalty possible. The teenager had reportedly found a way around security on a device in jail to view violent content.

Referring to Crumbley, Judge Kwamé Rowe said,

“It’s clear to this court the defendant had an obsession with violence before the shooting … “If the defendant continues to be obsessed with violence in the jail, how can there be a possibility of rehabilitation?”

via CNN

Notably, Crumbley was the first minor sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole since the Supreme Court ruled similar sentences unconstitutional in 2012. On his decision to allow the potential of life without parole, Judge Rowe added, “The prosecution has rebutted the presumption, by clear and convincing evidence, that a sentence to life without parole is a disproportionate sentence … The evidence does not demonstrate to this court that he wants to change.”

After he was sentenced, Crumbley was moved from Oakland County Jail to the Thumb Correctional Facility near Lapeer, Michigan, about 60 miles from Detroit. According to AB12.com, Thumb Correctional Facility is designed for young inmates convicted of adult charges. At his sentencing hearing, Crumbley, who was then 17, told the judge, “I am a really bad person. I have done terrible things that no one should ever do. I do plan to be better.”