Ethan Crumbley case: Michigan judge claims Oxford High School shooter can serve life in prison without parole
Mia Phillips
Updated on March 27, 2026
OXFORD, MICHIGAN: In a ruling that has captured the nation's attention, a Michigan judge stated that Ethan Crumbley, the perpetrator behind the tragic Oxford high school shooting could serve life in prison without parole.
The unofficial ruling came on Friday, September 29 after a Miller hearing that examined whether the juvenile offender, who was 15 years old at the time of the shooting, should be sentenced to life without parole—a penalty typically reserved for adults.
When will Ethan Crumbley be sentenced?
On December 8, Crumbley will appear in court for official sentencing, reported The Mirror.
Judge Kwame L Rowe, who presided over the hearing, said, "The prosecution has rebutted the presumption, by clear and convincing evidence, that a sentence to life without parole is a disproportionate sentence," per ABC News.
The judge pointed to a disturbing pattern of violence in the teen shooter's past, including an incident in which he expressed feeling "something between good and pleasurable" when torturing a baby bird.
Rowe noted, "There is other disturbing evidence, but it is clear to this court that the defendant had an obsession with violence before the shooting."
Who were the victims of the Oxford High School shooting?
In November 2021, Crumbley pleaded guilty to fatally shooting four students and injuring seven others at a high school in Michigan.
Among the deceased victims were Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17.
"The defendant continues to be obsessed with violence and could not stop his violence in jail," Judge Rowe said during the hearing.
The hearing in the case started in July when injured victims of the shooting testified in court.
Who were the survivors of the Oxford High School shooting?
During the Miller hearing, survivors of the shooting including Heidi Allen, 17, Keegan Gregory, 16, a teacher Molly Darnell, and Assistant Principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall, all gave their testimony about the horrifying shooting.
Crumbley opened fire on students in a school hallway in 2021 and a 14-year-old Phoebe Arthur was also injured.
Talking about Phoebe Arthur, Heidi Allen said, "I saw Phoebe get shot, I saw her boyfriend [get shot], then I saw a group of girls [get shot], then I looked away."
"I just prayed and I covered my head because I didn't know if those were my last moments," he added.
Darnell testified about her ordeal in the classroom as she described, "I was still in disbelief that I had been shot, but what I knew was I was bleeding."
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