"I am a really bad person:" Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley speaks out before being sentenced to life in prison

Ethan Crumbley, the Michigan school shooter, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday, December 8, 2023, following his conviction in September 2023. The shooting, which took place in November 2021, killed four students and left seven, including one teacher and six students with severe injuries. Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, spoke before the courtroom for the first time.

"I am a really bad person," Crumbley said.

Trigger warning: The article contains references to gun violence and a school shooting. Readers' discretion is advised.

The family members of the victims also gave their victim impact statements on Friday and requested the strictest punishment for the now-17-year-old Ethan. They said that he didn't deserve a second chance as their children didn't get one. According to USA Today, Crumbley's victim's father said that they needed to "find forgiveness," for Ethan, his parents, and the school, noting that they had no other choice.

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Ethan Crumbley, who opened fire in Oxford High School in November 2021, sentenced to life in prison

Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, entered Oxford High School in Michigan on November 30, 2021, and opened fire, killing four students. His victims were identified as 16-year-olds Tate Myre and Justin Shilling, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, and 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin. The shooter had a gun stuffed in his backpack that he used for the shooting, which he started shortly after meeting the school staff.

Adding to the claim that he was a "really bad person," Ethan Crumbley said that he had "done some terrible things."

"I have lied and I’m not trustworthy. I hurt many people," he added.

He claimed that he wanted students to feel secure and that he was remorseful for the actions that impacted so many lives. Crumbley pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, and 19 other charges in October 2022.

"I can try my best in the future to help other people and that is what I will do," Ethan Crumbley was reported saying.

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Crumbley apologized for his actions in the courtroom on Friday

According to Fox News, a Miller hearing was conducted in July 2023 to determine whether Ethan Crumbley could be sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

The now-17-year-old shooter requested that the judge in the case Kwame Rowe decide whatever punishment the victims' families sought for him. Judge Rowe sentenced Ethan to life imprisonment without parole and described the 2021 shooting as a "torture."

NBC News reported the judge stating that this was "unfortunately what the defendant wanted" as he had written about it in his journal.

"He chose not to die on that day because he wanted the notoriety. The terror that he caused in the state of Michigan and in Oxford is a true act of terrorism," the judge said.

While apologizing for his actions, Ethan Crumbley promised to become a better person, while serving his sentence. Apart from Crumbley's apologies, the court also heard thirty-one victim impact statements on Friday. Nicole Beausoleil, Madisyn Baldwin's mother, spoke in the court addressing Crumbley.

"I don’t wish death upon you, but hope the thoughts consume you," she said.

Prosecutors got hold of his journal where he mentioned details about the shooting, and presented it during the hearing several times.