A judge sentenced a 17-year-old boy to life in prison for the murders of 4 students in Oxford, MI, reports the Sentinel-Record.
Judge Kwame Rowe vowed that Ethan Crumbley will never get a chance to be released on parole.
Crumbley gunned down four students including Hana St. Juliana. The family of the 14-year-old made an emotional plea at the sentencing not only for a tough sentence, but also to remember Hana as an incredible warm human being, according to Click on Detroit.
“Hana was always thinking about our family, and always extended those thoughts to everyone around her, as well,” her mother said in a statement read by her daughter Reina. “She lifted all of our spirits. She was going to dress up, fall in love, go on dates, go to college, get married, take a bunch of vacations, eat a ton of good food, one day live near me and I would watch her kids … she was always going to bring our family together.”
Reina then went on to read her own statement.
“Instead of speaking at her wedding, I spoke at her funeral,” Reina said. “I do not want to live without Hana. She brought out the best in all of us and brought out the best in me.”
Her bitterness toward her sister’s killer could be felt throughout the courtroom.
“The creature who left Hana lying in her own pool of blood, crying in pain, who went to go shoot her again, does not deserve to take another breath.”
Her father then got up to speak. He debated whether he wanted to say anything about the killer but said he could not hold back.
“I want to make my position regarding the defendant’s sentencing and his future very clear: There can be no forgiveness. There can be no rehabilitation. There is absolutely nothing that the defendant can ever do to earn my forgiveness. His age plays no part. His potential is irrelevant. Ultimately, it is only his choices and his actions that matter. Actions that have consequences; that can never be undone,” said Steve St. Juliana.
Judge Rowe recalled how Crumbley repeatedly shot Hana St. Juliana and how he shot another victim, Justin Shilling, at point-blank range and described his actions as “execution and torture.”
His court-appointed pleaded with the court for leniency calling him a “bright young man” who was not the same person he was two years ago. She said his life was “salvageable” and asked that he be given a chance for parole.
His defense attorney said medication had helped him mental outlook and that Crumbley was already improving.
“He is remorseful. He has been able to keep out the dark voices and thoughts,” she said, reported the Sentinel-Record.
Crumbley’s parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, are in county jail and face charges of making a gun accessible at home and ignoring their son’s mental health.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Please support our fundraisers. Purchase your tickets to a Night of Hilarity- a fun conversation with comedienne Jiaoying Summers and ABC7/KABC anchor David Ono to be held October 9 in Los Angeles.
Then join us for a stimulating conference about issues that divide the Asian American communities. Our fundraiser Common Ground and the dinner after will be held October 26 at UC Berkeley.
AsAmNews is partially supported by the Stop the Hate grant administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
