(WXYZ) — Ethan Crumbley will plead guilty in the Oxford High School shooting that killed four students and injured seven others, prosecutors say.
The announcement comes days before a pre-trial hearing was set to be held Monday, and that's when the plea is expected to happen.
“We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism and the prosecutor has notified the victims,” David Williams, chief assistant prosecutor in Oakland County, told the Associated Press.
A hearing was also held earlier this week to see if Crumbley would stay in the Oakland County Jail.
Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, is charged with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The teen is being held in jail and will be charged as an adult in the murders of his four classmates — Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling – as well as the shooting of seven other people at the school on Nov. 30.
The trial was originally set to begin in September, but a judge set a new trial date for Jan. 17, 2023, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Crumbley's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are also facing charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting.
Earlier this year, defense attorneys for Crumbley said he would seek an insanity defense. Legal experts believe the guilty plea could be an attempt to request less time than life without parole.
“She must’ve thought this was untirable. The evidence is overwhelming. There’s witnesses throughout the school that saw what he did,” said former federal Prosecutor Mark Chutkow, who’s handled countless high-profile cases.
In Michigan, first-degree murder comes with life without parole. That could be different in this case since the accused shooter is a minor.
“He was 15 when he created the crime. He’s 16 now. Under Supreme Court precedent, the prosecutor is going to actually have to move that he’d be sentenced to life without parole,” Chutkow said.
Crumbley pleading guilty would not be part of a deal with the prosecutor’s office. It’s also unknown when sentencing could happen.
