Prosecutor: Let's stop using Oxford school shooting suspect's name

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has asked a judge to intervene on a touchy subject: mentioning the name of the Oxford school shooting suspect.

McDonald believes that by repeating 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley's name in court and the media, other copy-cat shooter's may be emboldened to do the same given all the publicity the Oxford case has gotten.

Her concern about the issue prompted her to ask the judge to issue an order barring both the defense and prosecution from using Ethan's name during the duration of his parents' case, which has generated international attention. James and Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in America to be charged in a mass school shooting. They are accused of ignoring a depressed son who prosecutors say spiraled out of control and shot up his school, allegedly with a gun that his parents bought him.

"School shooters often seek notoriety and attention in committing their egregious acts," McDonald wrote in a court filing. "The publicity generated by a school shooting notably gives the perpetrator the notoriety that they sought, but also can inspire and motive at-risk individuals to commit similar acts of violence."

By keeping Ethan's name mum, McDonalds hopes to "help protect against future school shootings." In court, she has suggested both sides refer to him as the "perpetrator," the "defendant's son," or "James and Jennifer's son."

Prosecutors have portrayed Ethan Crumbley as a "disturbed," lonely, and attention-starved teenager whose life went from having only one friend before the shooting, to getting "fan mail' from all over the world after the shooting. In an effort to keep the teenager locked up in an adult jail, prosecutors disclosed to the judge the boy's jailhouse communications, including one in which he asked a jail official, "how do I get my fan mail."

Ethan Crumbley is currently housed in the Oakland County Jail on first degree murder charges for the deaths of four students. Six other students and a teacher were also injured in the shooting - several who are still struggling from their injuries.

More: Demons. Affairs. Guns. The dark world of the Crumbleys focus of hearing

More: James, Jennifer Crumbley ordered to stand trial after breakdown in court

Since the Nov. 30 massacre, the prosecution has disclosed excerpts from the teenager's journal, in which he allegedly expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer, writing: “When you die, you need to be remembered for a long time.”

The 15-year-old suspect also described in his journal what type of gun he needed to shoot up his school and that he would surrender so that he could “witness the pain and suffering he caused,” the prosecution has argued.

Through his lawyers, Ethan Crumbley has pleaded not guilty and is planning an insanity defense.

More: Experts: Are the Crumbleys criminals, or just bad parents? Tough case to prove

Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prosecutor: Stop using Oxford school shooting suspect's name