Michigan Court of Appeals denies Oxford High School shooter's request for resentencing
An appeals court has rejected an attempt to overturn the most serious of the criminal convictions resulting from a mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Four high school students were killed and seven others injured on Nov. 30, 2021, during what became the deadliest school shooting in Michigan history.
The case earned national attention as it was one of the first cases in which authorities sought charges not just against the student accused of being the shooter, but against his parents. Charges against the shooter, who was 15 years old at the time, were handled in adult court. He was 16 when the guilty plea was entered.
The appeal filed on behalf of Ethan Crumbley through the state appellate defender's office was "denied for lack of merit in the grounds presented," the order states.
The charges originated in Oakland County. The shooter was sentenced to life without parole on charges of terrorism causing death and first degree murder; 18 years and 9 months to 80 years in prison on assault with intent to murder and two additional years on felony firearm.
In the meantime, both James and Jennifer Crumbley, his parents, were convicted of manslaughter for their roles in the circumstances.
The teen's attorney filed a request in June 2024 to withdraw his plea and be resentenced. The trial court denied both motions in December 2024.
The attorneys then filed their appeals court request in January, seeking leave to appeal, a reversal of the life without parole sentence, an opportunity to withdraw the plea or remand for a resentencing.
Their arguments included questions over mitigating circumstances in the teen's background.
In response, the Oakland County Prosecutor's office wrote, "Defendant waived appellate review of his sentence when he asked for the sentence he received ...There was no defect in the plea-taking process."
