OXFORD, Mich. – Thursday marks exactly two years since four students were murdered in the Oxford High School shooting, and just over one week until the shooter faces his sentencing.
For two years, the community has mourned the loss of four students who were shot and killed on Nov. 30, 2021: 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana; 16-year-old Tate Myre; 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin; and 17-year-old Justin Shilling. Six students and one teacher were also injured in the tragic shooting, carried out by a then-15-year-old sophomore student.
The shooter was apprehended minutes into the shooting and has since been convicted of 24 felonies, including first-degree murder and terrorism. After years of moving through the legal system, and undergoing a necessary Miller hearing, the now-17-year-old shooter is expected to be sentenced next month, and could face a lifetime in prison.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin on Dec. 8, and is likely to include several impact statements provided by victims. It’s unclear how long the sentencing hearing might last, but a judge said that because of the terrorism charge -- a first for a U.S. school shooter -- around 2,000 people would have the opportunity to speak. It wasn’t known Thursday just how many people would speak.
Though the shooter was a minor at the time of the attack, he was charged as an adult with 24 crimes, all of which he eventually pleaded guilty to. Before he could be sentenced, a Miller hearing was held this fall to determine if the shooter’s age and any other mitigating circumstances would impact his sentencing, since his convictions called for a life sentence without the chance for parole.
An Oakland County judge ruled in September that the shooter can, indeed, be sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole, despite his minor age. That doesn’t mean a life sentence is guaranteed for the shooter, but it is possible. If the judge decides to hand down a lesser sentence, it will still include decades of prison time.
The shooter was expected to stand trial this January after initially pleading not guilty to all charges, but he changed that plea to guilty in October 2022. He will soon be sentenced for the following crimes:
- One count of terrorism causing death.
- Four counts of first-degree murder.
- Seven counts of assault with intent to murder.
- 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Terrorism causing death and first-degree murder both carry a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole in Michigan. Assault with intent to murder in Michigan carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, or imprisonment of any number of years.
A person’s first felony firearm conviction is punishable by up to 2 years in prison in Michigan. A second felony firearm conviction carries a 5-year sentence, while third and subsequent convictions carry 10-year sentences.
While it is not often that a minor is sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has been pushing for the harshest punishment possible. Throughout the legal process, prosecutors have maintained that the shooter meticulously planned and carried out the violent execution, and did so to bring himself pleasure and fame.
Defense attorneys have attempted to paint the shooter as a troubled and mentally ill child who had a difficult home life in hopes of allowing him the option of parole down the line. Though the defense’s efforts were largely unsuccessful, the prosecution has repeatedly agreed that the shooter’s parents were neglectful, but says the shooter is still responsible for his actions.
Throughout the years, prosecutors have shared disturbing evidence with the court, giving insight into the shooter’s thorough plans for the massacre, and his apparent desire for violence. You can find more specific details and evidence in the articles linked below:
The shooter’s parents have been charged separately, accused of failing to take steps that could have prevented the mass school shooting. The mother and father each face four involuntary manslaughter charges for the four students murdered by their son.
The parents were scheduled to stand trial in January, but recently requested separate trials, which they were granted. It’s currently unclear when they will stand trial.
A judge did order that the parents are not allowed to attend the shooter’s sentencing hearing.