Prosecutors argued that the juvenile suspect in a Michigan school shooting should remain in an adult jail while awaiting trial, citing comments he allegedly made as evidence of the danger he poses.
Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Collins said Tuesday that statements from Ethan Crumbley show he has “the sophistication beyond that of an average 15-year-old” and that “he’s fascinated with violence” in a hearing to decide whether the teenager should remain in jail or be transferred to a youth detention center, according to CNN.
“He asked in jail, ‘How do I get my fan mail? How do I get my hate mail?’ He wants that notoriety,” Collins argued.
SUSPECT IN OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING TO PLEAD INSANITY
Collins also said Crumbley plotted to stalk, rape, torture, and kill a female classmate and expressed joy in torturing baby birds based on journal entries.
Crumbley is charged with fatally shooting four students and wounding six other students and one teacher at Oxford High School on Nov. 30 of last year.
Public defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin, who is representing Crumbley, rebutted the prosecutor’s claims, saying text messages from Crumbley show he was “seeing things, seeing people, hearing voices,” according to the Associated Press.
The teenager is “completely isolated” in the jail, which negatively affects his mental health, Loftin said.
Last month, Crumbley’s lawyers filed an insanity plea as part of his defense. He is being charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of terrorism causing death, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, among others.
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Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe said he would take arguments under advisement and issue a decision next week.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and Loftin did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
