The Oxford High School shooter, who was sentenced to life without parole, is looking to appeal his sentence, while his attorneys aim to prevent him from testifying in his parents' trials. The teen, Ethan Crumbley,’s new legal team from the State Appellate Defender's Office, filed paperwork on Monday, asserting their intent to appeal the sentence and advising the court of their plans to keep Crumbley from the stand, as per court documents obtained by The Detroit News.
In a letter to Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews, the attorneys expressed that they would advise Ethan to assert all privileges and protections of confidential communications relevant to documents and witnesses sought to be introduced in these trials, as reported by the Free Press. The urgency of keeping Crumbley silent is tied to his parent's involvement, Jennifer and James Crumbley, who face charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2021 school shooting that left four students dead and seven others injured.
As per legal strategy, the defense is keen on keeping Ethan Crumbley's medical records and any interviews conducted with forensic experts confidential. These records are considered privileged and are seen as a lynchpin in the prosecution's argument that the Crumbley parents neglected their son's deteriorating mental health. Despite prosecutors' assertion that the parents bought their son the gun that was used in the shooting, the Crumbleys maintain that they had no prior knowledge of their son’s intentions and had kept the firearm secured. This was detailed in reporting by FOX 2 Detroit.
Ethan's mother's trial is set to begin with jury selection this Tuesday, while his father's is slated to start on March 5. The overlap in facts across the three cases has been cited by the defense as a reason to keep Ethan silent, so as not to jeopardize his appeal process. During Ethan's sentencing, Judge Kwame Rowe had remarked, "The court cannot ignore the deep trauma defendant caused the state of Michigan, but in particular the Oxford community. The court simply cannot ignore that,"
