Teen suspect in Michigan school shooting to plead guilty, prosecutor says

[October 22, 2022]  By Tyler Clifford
 
(Reuters) - A Michigan teenager accused of killing four students and injuring seven other people in the deadliest school shooting of 2021 will plead guilty to murder charges in a court appearance on Monday, a local prosecutor said on Friday.

Ethan Crumbley, 15, who is charged with the fatal shooting of four fellow students and the wounding of seven others, including a teacher at Oxford high school on November 30, 2021, and his defense attorneys Amy Hopp and Paulette Loftin attend a placement hearing at Oakland County circuit court in Pontiac, U.S. February 22, 2022. David Guralnick/Pool via REUTERS

Ethan Crumbley, 16, is accused of opening fire in Oxford High School outside Detroit with a gun that his father purchased as a Christmas gift just days before the Nov. 30 shooting.

In January, Crumbley's lawyers wrote in a court notice that he would mount an insanity defense, but those plans appear to have changed, according to Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams.

Three attorneys defending Crumbley did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

"We can confirm that the shooter is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges, including terrorism and the prosecutor has notified the victims," Williams said in a statement. "There have been no plea deals, no reductions and no sentencing agreements."

Crumbley is expected to enter the plea in court at 8:30 a.m. local time on Monday.

Among the dozens of charges is a count of terrorism causing death and four counts of premeditated murder by a juvenile, according to the prosecutor.

Four students were killed in the rampage and six other students and a teacher were wounded in the attack.

Oxford High School is located in Oxford, Michigan, about 30 miles north of Detroit.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by David Gregorio)

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