“Ethan Crumbley will be sentenced in a hearing Friday for killing four students and wounding seven others when he opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan in November 2021. Live news updates.”
He does need mental health care, but he also needs punishment for taking the lives of 4 people. There is no way at 15, someone is unaware that killing 4 people is bad, and should be redeemed of any wrongdoing. Nope. At that age in the U.S., you already have a permit to drive. I agree he needs major help, but he shouldn’t get to stay in a psych unit for the murder of 4 people. He knowingly and brutally stole the most valuable thing they had, their only chance at life. There must be consequences.
You assume that someone taught him right from wrong. Seeing as his parents are also being charged that is not a given.
You can’t seriously suggest that as he gunned down his classmates he was wondering “I wonder if I’ll get in trouble for this.”
That excuse only works for toddlers who discharge their parent’s firearm. Every 15 year old knows that murder is wrong. If his parents forgot to tell him, he would’ve learned in kindergarten. During his active shooter drills.
Schizophrenia can be a much stronger force than those morals that are imparted on kids. The kid texted his mom claiming to hear demons and see ghosts. You can’t tell me that is someone who is in a sane state of mind.
Using active shooter drills as an excuse to justify jailing a 15 yr old for life is about as obtuse as you can get.
I speculate he was probably neglected emotionally at a minimum, possibly abused on top of some other issue or issues. That level of rage and violence usually doesn’t come out of nowhere. There may be genetic predispositions involved. The thing is, I don’t think we have a clear enough picture of the causes. It’s difficult since often shooters take their own lives.
Edited to add:
Asked what is different for Crumbley since the shooting two years ago, Loftin said things like "medication, seeing a therapist, having positive adults in his life” were all part of the change that has begun for him.
I think our society fucking sucks. We would rather let a kid destroy lives, then destroy his in retribution than lift a fucking finger to help anywhere along the way.
The whole thing could almost certainly been avoided had his parents sought any semblance of mental help. He told them he was seeing and hearing shit and that his mental state was not good. They decided to ignore that and give him a gun for Christmas instead. His parents were irresponsible drunk fuck heads that deserve years upon years in prison. The kid needs years in a mental health institution.
