Michigan school shooter pleads guilty in US court to all charges

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A teenager accused of opening fire in a Michigan high school last year, killing four students and wounding seven other victims, pleaded guilty on Monday to all 24 charges against him.

Among the two dozen charges to which Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded are terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder related to the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School, which is located in a suburb north of Detroit.

Crumbley was dressed in an orange jumpsuit and medical mask as he responded "yes" when asked if he killed each of the victims, who were identified individually by name, according to CNN.

Crumbley said he obtained the gun he used in the shooting from an unlocked box in his home, took it to school in a backpack, and removed it in a bathroom before opening fire on his fellow students, CNN reported.

He now faces up to life in prison without parole.

Crumbley's parents are scheduled to be tried separately on related charges in January.

James and Jennifer Crumbley had gone missing in the wake of the shooting, and were eventually located in the basement of an abandoned warehouse in Detroit.

Police said they had withdrawn $4,000 from an ATM, and turned off their mobile phones, leading to a manhunt and a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.

Prosecutors say the parents ignored their son’s disturbing behavior in the days and hours before the shooting, essentially encouraging it, and were culpable of involuntary manslaughter in the four deaths.