Judge revisits Ethan Crumbley’s placement
An Oakland County judge has again ruled that accused school shooter Ethan Crumbley will remain in the Oakland County Jail rather than be transferred to Children’s Village, the county’s juvenile facility.
At the monthly placement hearing Tuesday morning held via Zoom, Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe made the ruling after the prosecution and Crumbley’s defense attorney said they had no updates to share.
“It continues to be in the interest of justice to continue the defendant’s placement in the Oakland County Jail,” Rowe said.
The judge also noted Crumbley’s guilty plea on Oct. 24 to all charges he faced in connection with the Nov. 30, 2021 mass shooting. Further, the “Miller hearing” tentatively scheduled for Crumbley was rescheduled to Feb. 10, tentatively. A Miller hearing is required for all juveniles possibly facing a sentence of life in prison, which the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said it’s seeking. At the hearing, the judge will hear arguments from the prosecution to support a life sentence and from the defense in favor of a term of years with the possibility of parole for Crumbley. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
Crumbley’s next placement hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2023. By law, a placement hearing must occur every 30 days for juveniles held in adult facilities to determine if his or her needs are being met.
At Tuesday’s placement hearing, Crumbley spoke only to acknowledge his appearance and permission to proceed remotely via Zoom from the Oakland County Jail. He’s held in a section of the jail’s infirmary, with no contact with other inmates including his parents, James Crumbley and Jennifer Crumbley.
The Crumbley parents each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four students killed in the mass shooting. Their trial was scheduled to start Jan. 17, 2023 but on Tuesday the Michigan Supreme Court postponed it, ordering the state’s Court of Appeals to hear arguments from James and Jennifer Crumbley’s attorneys who say they shouldn’t be held accountable for their son’s independent actions.