By: Kiara Hay
PONTIAC, Mich. (Scripps News Detroit/Court TV/AP) — The Oxford High School shooter will be back in court for the third day of a pre-sentencing Miller hearing on Tuesday morning.
The hearing will determine if Ethan Crumbley, who was a minor at the time of the shooting, will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ethan Crumbley is escorted into court, Thursday, July 27, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
The first two days of the hearing last week brought heartbreaking testimony from survivors and new revelations in the investigation.
Day one of proceedings focused on how calculated Crumbley was in planning the shooting, which killed four students – Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin – and injured seven others.
Lead investigator Lt. Timothy Willis testified journal entries showed Crumbley was planning the shooting for months. A video recording he took of himself justifying his actions was also introduced in court.
On the second day, students and faculty detailed the horror they witnessed inside of the school back in November 2021. The school’s assistant principal described her efforts to save Tate Myre, and a student barely escaping the shooter after witnessing him kill Justin Shilling.
WATCH: Administrator recalls day of school shooting
“I was telling them to keep giving breaths, he needs air. So much blood, he was all over me,” Kristy Gibson-Marshall said.
“He signaled me and moved the gun I ran behind his back and out the door. I realized if I stayed I was going to die,” a student testified.
The defense also began presenting their case, with a psychologist taking the stand insisting anyone, including the shooter, could be rehabilitated. The psychologist said because of the shooter’s age, he would be in mandatory mental health classes.
Last year, Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and terrorism.
His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are separately charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting. They’re accused of buying a gun for their son and ignoring his mental health needs, reports The AP.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Detroit, an E.W. Scripps Company. Court TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
