A Michigan judge will decide if a teenage school shooter will spend his life in prison

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge in Michigan must decide whether a teenager who killed four students at his school should spend his life in prison. Ethan Crumbley was 15 when he committed a mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021. He’s pleaded guilty murder, terrorism and other charges. But because of his age, the now-17-year-old is entitled to a unique hearing at which a judge will look at his family life, mental health and other factors. It could influence the judge to order a sentence that would some day give Crumbley an opportunity for freedom. The hearing starts Thursday. Under Michigan law, Crumbley could instead be given a minimum sentence somewhere from 25 years to 40 years.