PONTIAC (WWJ) -- Testimony has concluded in the pre-sentencing hearing to determine whether confessed Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley will spend the rest of his life in prison, without that possibility of parole.
With the defense having rested following testimony from multiple psychologists presenting their opinions that Crumbley suffers from paranoia and hallucinations, Friday offered chance for prosecutors to call a rebuttal witness.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Anacker, who spoke with Crumbley after the 2021 massacre, referred to the teen's methodical actions on the day of the shootings, and in subsequent interviews
In the picture she painted, the 15-year-old killer was acting with a clear head and intention when he shot 11 people, killing four of them, inside his school in Oxford Township.
"What's there in the videos is the defendant calm, collected, communicating clearly with police and with his parents. He is answering questions relevantly, he is following commands," Anacker told the court.
"What isn't there are any signs of psychosis, any signs of bizarre behavior, any speech disorganization, and again, no responding to internal stimuli."
This testimony came Friday as Crumbley's Miller hearing, required for any minor facing the prospect of life in prison, resumed for a fourth day in Oakland County Circuit Court.
While it remains to be seen what the judge will decide, WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton said he believes prosecutors succeeded in making their case.
"The conclusion from the witness today was that no, he (Crmmbley) did not meet the statutory definition of mental illness," said Langton, who observed the testimony in the courtroom. "In other words, he knew exactly what he was doing. In fact, that he had prepared in the morning, getting up early, getting the gun in his backpack, and then going off to school...does not even exhibit any sign of mental illness."
"He also went to the bathroom a number of times during the day with this gun, to load the gun or to figure out what to do with the gun, and again does not show any sign of mental illness," Langton said.
The defense, meanwhile, continues to insist that Crumbley can be rehabilitated.
In her closing remarks, the teen's attorney Paulette Loftin suggested that Crumbley indeed suffers from mental illness, and does at some point deserve a chance for parole.
"The law requires that we start with the presumption that life without parole is a disproportionate sentence," Loftin said. "The people bear the burden to rebut that presumption, by clearly convincing evidence. They must prove that Crumbley is one of the rare, corrupt youths that cannot be rehabilitated."
In her closing arguments, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen Diane McDonald said it is her "duty" and "moral obligation" to seek a life without parole sentence for Crumbley, despite his young age.
"It should be rare, it should be rare, your honor," McDonald acknowledged, addressing Judge Kwame Rowe.
"There was an execution of this plan, there were opportunities to stop, there was a picking and choosing of who would die, there was a level of comfort and ease with the violence and pain, and a level of excitement and enjoyment," she asserted.
While admitting that she initially struggled with whether or not to pursue a life sentence for Crumbley, McDonald said that life is what Crumbley deserves.
"This is a person who killed four of his classmates, solely for the pleasure of killing, and to increase the body count to try to make himself famous," McDonald said. "It wasn't impulsive, and their expert (for the defense) even acknowledges that. He didn't want anything from his victims, your honor; it wasn't settling a score. He didn't even know them, and the people he killed were also juveniles."
Crumbley, now 16 years old, in October pleaded guilty to all 24 felony charges against him, including four counts of first-degree murder and one count of terrorism in the deadly shooting on November 30, 2021, in which four students were killed and six other students and a teacher were wounded.
Judge Rowe set Crumbley's next hearing for Sept. 29, and a sentencing date of Dec. 8.
