PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge has set a Sept. 6 trial date for a teenager charged with murder and other crimes in a Michigan school shooting that killed four students.
Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe said Thursday that the date could change but he wanted to set one to “move this case forward.”
Ethan Crumbley, who turns 16 next week, is accused of shooting fellow students at Oxford High School on Nov. 30.
Rowe disclosed the trial date during a brief hearing that must be held every 30 days because Crumbley is a minor who is being held in a county jail. He is segregated from adults.
Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Collins disclosed that the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry has completed a report about the teen’s mental health status at the time of the shooting and whether he could be held criminally responsible. She didn’t disclose the conclusion.
Defense lawyers indicated in January that they would pursue an insanity defense, which can lead to a series of evaluations.
Separately, the boy’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say they ignored warning signs about their son’s mental health and failed to keep a gun out of his reach at home.
They’re in jail, unable so far to afford a $500,000 bond. The couple’s attorneys deny the allegations.
