A Michigan judge issued a life sentence to a 17-year-old on Friday for his role in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting that left four students dead and several injured. The sentence, which was handed down despite pleas for a lesser punishment, serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of gun violence.
Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, was found guilty of first-degree murder, terrorism, and 24 other charges related to the incident. Judge Kwame Rowe made sure to take into account the anguish and grief of the families of the victims and survivors in his ruling.
“Your statements do not fall on deaf ears,” Rowe said. “The court acknowledges the profound and permanent effect this tragedy has had on the Oxford community, the surviving victims, and the families of those who were killed.”
The shooter’s victims—Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling, and Hana St. Juliana—were remembered by their loved ones in a moving and heartbreaking series of victim-impact statements. Tate’s father, Buck Myre, remarked, “Our family has a permanent hole in it that can never be fixed—ever.” Nicole Beausoleil, Madisyn’s mother, recalled seeing her daughter’s lifeless body at the medical examiner’s office, her hand with its blue-painted fingernails sticking out from a covering. Jill Soave, Justin’s mother, expressed her regret that her son was not able to be the friend the shooter needed. And Kylie Ossege, who was shot and continues to suffer from spinal injuries, shared how she had urged Hana to keep breathing while they waited for help on the bloody carpet—Hana did not make it.
The shooter, who wept and looked down as the victims’ families spoke, wrote in a journal about his desire to watch students suffer and his expectation that he would spend his life in prison. He had also made a video the night before the shooting, declaring what he would do the next day. In light of this evidence, defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin’s argument that the shooter deserved an opportunity for parole after his “sick brain” was fixed through counseling and rehabilitation was met with disbelief from Steve St. Juliana, Hana’s father.
“There can be no rehabilitation,” St. Juliana told the judge. “There is absolutely nothing the defendant can do to earn my forgiveness. His age plays no part.”
The shooting, which occurred in Oxford Township, about 40 miles north of Detroit, exposed a series of missteps leading up to the tragedy. An independent investigation revealed that school staff had noticed violent drawings by the shooter prior to the shooting, but failed to check his backpack for a gun and allowed him to stay. His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, are now facing trial on involuntary manslaughter charges, accused of making a gun accessible at home and neglecting the shooter’s mental health.
The tragedy that unfolded at Oxford High School serves as a cautionary tale for communities all over the world. It is a reminder of the dangers of gun violence, the importance of mental health care, and the need to look out for warning signs in those around us. The families of the victims and survivors hope that the life sentence for the shooter will provide a sense of justice and closure, allowing them to begin the process of healing.
