News

Actions

Prosecutor asks court to avoid using Oxford shooting suspect's name during trial

Oxford High School
Posted at 2:35 PM, Mar 18, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-18 14:35:47-04

(WXYZ) — Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has filed a motion, asking a judge to not allow the use of Ethan Crumbley's name in court hearings related to the Oxford High School shooting.

According to the filing, McDonald wants the court to preclude reference to his name in court and in writing filings for the case.

Ethan is charged with four counts of murder and other charges related to the Nov. 30 shooting at the school that left four students dead and several others injured.

His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are also facing charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting. The filing aims to keep his name out of that trial.

In a brief supporting her motion, McDonald references a group called "Don't Name Them" which aims to keep school shooters' names out of hearings and in the media.

McDonald said that shooters want to be famous and that's why she wants to keep his name out of hearings.

"What the experts tell us, and what more than a decade of data shows, is that making one shooter famous and repeating his name and constantly showing his picture will motivate future shooters. Each shooter wants to be as famous, or even more famous, than the last shooter. So when we repeat the Oxford shooter’s name and continuously publicize his photo, we’re contributing to future shootings. I’m not going to be a part of that," McDonald said in a statement.