'I wish to hear the screams of children': Witness recounts Oxford school shooter's journal
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. — Lawyers on Thursday revisited dark, violent evidence in a special hearing to decide whether school shooter Ethan Crumbley, 17, will be sentenced to life in prison without parole for carrying out the 2021 Oxford High School shooting.
In court Thursday morning, the first witness shared writings from Crumbley's personal journal, in which he laid out his desires to kill his fellow students.
Prosecutors also showed video footage from the shooting, which had never before been seen publicly. Students who witnessed the massacre are also expected to testify.
The prosecution will try to convince the judge that the shooter deserves life in prison without the possibility of parole for his crimes. The victims' families are expected to be in the courtroom.
The video and students' testimony are part of Crumbley's so-called Miller hearing, a mandatory proceeding during which the judge will decide whether a life without parole sentence is appropriate for the teenager, who murdered four students and injured six students and a teacher in the shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan. The hearing is expected to last two or three days.
Investigators, lawyers give statements in court
Lt. Timothy Willis, the first witness to speak at the hearing, said a 22-page journal was found in a bathroom stall, apparently left behind by Crumbley before he emerged in a hallway at Oxford High School and began shooting.
“I want America to hear what I did,” Crumbley wrote. “I will cause the largest school shooting in the state. I wish to hear the screams of the children as I shoot them.”
Willis said Crumbley searched online for information about police emergency response times, prison sentences for teenagers and whether Michigan has the death penalty.
In her opening remarks, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said Crumbley was an “offender like no other,” meticulously planning the attack and willing to peacefully surrender to spend his life behind bars.
Crumbley's lawyers plan to offer testimony from an expert in child brain development and another who has spent time with the teen and performed psychological tests.
Crumbley is “not one of those rare individuals who is irreparably corrupt and can’t be rehabilitated,” attorney Paulette Michel Loftin said in her opening statement.
'The difficult home life of Mr. Crumbley'
Crumbley was 15 when he carried out his crimes, using a gun his parents had bought him as an early Christmas present. Because of his age, he is entitled to a hearing during which both sides will argue why he should — or should not — get life without parole.
The prosecution has argued life without parole is a fitting punishment for Crumbley, who pleaded guilty to everything he was charged with, admitting he intended to cause panic and fear and that he detailed his plan in his journal the day before the shooting, writing: "I will cause the biggest school shooting in Michigan's history. I have fully mentally lost it." He also wrote: "The first victim has to be a pretty girl."
But Crumbley's defense team believes he deserves an opportunity at freedom one day, given his age, health challenges and difficult home life.
"The Miller hearing will give the court, as well as the public, a good inside look into the difficult home life of Mr. Crumbley and what challenges he was facing," Paulette Michel Loftin, Crumbley's attorney, previously told the Free Press. "I believe that the hearing will show that Mr. Crumbley is worthy of an out date, and that there is potential for rehabilitation inside the Michigan Department of Corrections."
Teacher shares testimony on getting shot
Molly Darnell, a former teacher at Oxford High School who was shot in her arm on Nov. 30, testified at Crumbley’s hearing Thursday.
Darnell, who was 47 at the time of the shooting, is now a mentor at Oxford Virtual Academy after leaving her post at the high school.
“I wanted to go back. I loved the work that I was doing, and I wanted to kind of prove that I could go back, but it was just too hard to be there,” Darnell said. “It’s like I couldn’t access things I knew when I was in that space.”
During her testimony, Darnell recalled locking eyes with Crumbley before noticing a gun raising toward her. Darnell said she jumped to the side and heard multiple loud pops.
“I felt my left shoulder move back, and it felt like someone had burned me with hot water,” Darnell said.
Crumbley’s attorney questioned Darnell about Crumbley’s personal life and family, though she'd said the shooting was the first time they had met.
“Do you know how hard it is to heal from something like this? I avoid everything I can to heal,” Darnell responded after multiple questions on Crumbley.
Darnell recalled messaging her family to let them know she was alive and say “I love you,” as she crouched in her office after being shot. Darnell told the court she regretted not messaging her older daughter, who lived out of state.
“I thought by not saying anything, I can keep her safe a little bit longer,” Darnell said. “She found out anyway.”
Why Crumbley gets a hearing
The U.S. Supreme Court and Michigan Supreme Court have held that mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles are unconstitutional and require the Miller hearing, which is named after the 2012 Miller v. Alabama case before the U.S. Supreme Court. It involved Evan Miller, a 14-year-old from Alabama who was sentenced to life without parole for beating a man to death with a baseball bat during a robbery. The high court held the sentence was unconstitutional and amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.
The ruling has since required courts to hold Miller hearings for juveniles facing a sentence of life without parole. In Crumbley's case, Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe will consider several factors in reaching a decision, including:
Crumbley's background and mental and emotional development.
His home life, family environment and character.
His record while incarcerated.
The circumstances of the crime, including the extent to which Crumbley was involved and how his family or peer pressure may have played a part.
The prosecution has argued that Crumbley's parents are also to blame for the tragedy, alleging the couple ignored their son's mental health issues and instead of getting him medical help, they bought him a gun.
The parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are facing involuntary manslaughter charges and deny wrongdoing. They maintain their son is the only one responsible for the deaths, and that they had no way of knowing he would carry out a school shooting. Their case is pending before the Michigan Supreme Court.
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ethan Crumbley to face students in hearing for Oxford school shooting
