Ethan Crumbley's Sentence Appeal Violates Court Rules, Judge Says

PONTIAC, MI — An Oakland County judge said Thursday morning that Ethan Crumbley's sentence appeal violates court rules.

Defense lawyers for Crumbley are appealing Crumbley's life sentence without parole for fatally shooting four students at Oxford High School 2021.

Crumbely's lawyers want to withdraw his guilty plea and want a new trial with witnesses who will testify to Crumbley's declining mental health state and deteriorating home life before the shooting in hopes of a lesser sentence.

Lawyers filed the appeal in June, just one day before the 60-day deadline to do so after his sentencing.

Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwame Rowe said the appeal violated court rules because it was longer than 20 pages. Motions that are longer than 20 pages need permission from the court.

In addition, Crumbely's lawyers are seeking to have the case heard in June 2025, another request that Rowe said was proposed without permission from the court.

Rowe noted that appeals need to be filed within six months of a final sentence, and accused Crumbley's lawyers of trying to extend that time limit without permission from the court.

Rowe said the motions "clearly violate the court rules" and that he was "strongly inclined" to strike the motions. Instead, he is giving prosecutors until Nov. 19 to respond to the appeal.

Rowe said Crumbley's lawyers will not have an opportunity to respond to the prosecutor's briefs, noting the six-month timeframe has passed.

Rowe will then look over the motions and determine if oral arguments are needed before making a ruling.

Crumbely's lawyers said his life sentence is invalid because they found new evidence that includes witnesses who can speak to his struggles during childhood, his mother’s alcohol abuse during pregnancy and the potential impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder on his life.

If Rowe grants the shooter's motion to withdraw his guilty plea, the case will go back to where it stood in October 2022 before he pleaded guilty, and will proceed to a jury trial, bench trial or plea negotiations.

Rowe could also accept defense lawyers request for an invalid sentence, and hold another Miller hearing to listen to the new evidence before another sentencing hearing.

Rowe could also deny both of Crumbley's requests.

Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to fatally shooting four students and wounding seven other people at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.

Now 18, Crumbley was initially placed in the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer County, but has since been moved to the Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee, which is roughly 60 miles southwest of Traverse City.

Ethan's parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley were each found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting after prosecutors said they ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the deadly shooting.

The four students killed in the shooting were 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.

Ethan Crumbley was not in court Thursday.