Ethan Crumbley is led away from the courtroom in February. Photo: David Guralnick-Pool/Getty Images
Prosecutors said they'd seek a life sentence for Ethan Crumbley, the 16-year-old who pleaded guilty to killing four fellow students in a Michigan school shooting in November 2021.
The big picture: First-degree murder brings an automatic life sentence. But lawyers for teenagers can raise mental health concerns in order to get shorter sentences in some cases, per AP.
Driving the news: In a court filing Monday, prosecutors said they'd seek a life sentence without chance of parole for Crumbley, who withdrew a possible insanity defense and acknowledged the shooting from 2021, AP reports.
- Crumbley, who was charged as an adult, pleaded guilty to 24 charges last month, including four counts of first-degree murder, one count of terrorism, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, among other charges, per Axios.
What they're saying: "A sentence of imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole is appropriate in this case," Oakland County assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said, AP reports.
- Attorney Ven Johnson, who represents some of the families in the civil lawsuit against Crumbly, said his guilty plea "is one small step forward on a long path towards obtaining full justice for our clients."
- "We will continue to fight until the truth is revealed about what went wrong leading up to this tragedy," Johnson said last month.
What's next: The sentencing will begin in February.
Go deeper: Teen pleads guilty to 24 charges in Michigan school shooting