Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley pleads guilty

Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Ethan Crumbley on Monday issued a guitly plea to 24 felony counts stemming from a shooting spree at a Detroit-area high school last year, meaning the 16-year-old could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

"Yes, sir," Crumbley responded when Circuit Judge Kwame L. Rowe asked if he understood the charges and the potential jail term.

His defense team had initially pondered an insanity defense. Crumbley last November brought a handgun -- said to be a gift from his father -- to Oxford High School, some 30 miles northwest of Detroit and opened fire. Four people were killed, all of them teenagers, and several others were injured in what Crumbley indicated he wanted to be the deadliest school shooting in Michigan history.

Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the incident, displayed troubling signs before the shooting, telling a friend he needed help dealing with mental issues. His parents told him to "suck it up," according to MLive, a Michigan news outlet, and he later scrawled messages such as "blood everywhere" and "my life is useless" on testing material the day of the shooting.

His parents -- James and Jennifer Crumbley -- had apparently suspected their son was troubled. Jennifer texted "Ethan, don't do it" the day of the rampage and, after finding the handgun missing from their home, his father phoned the police.

School authorities had earlier in the day called for psychiatric support, but his parents ignored the pleas and Ethan was allowed to return to class.

Asked by the Detroit Free Press if Ethan should spend the rest of his life behind bars, lawyers representing the victims replied "absolutely."

Both of the adult Crumbleys are held in the same facility as their son. They fled initially and were later arrested four days after the shooting. Both are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and gross neglect.

Special sentencing considerations apply because the suspect is a minor, though he was tried as an adult. An initial hearing on sentencing is set for Feb. 9. A judge is expected to rule on potential trial testimony for the parents later this week.