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Oxford shooting: Evidence shown during hearing to decide if Ethan Crumbley will spend life in prison
Chilling evidence was shown by the prosecution during Thursday's Miller Hearing, held to decide whether teen mass shooter Ethan Crumbley will spend life in prison.
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - The question of whether the Oxford High School shooter is guilty or not has been decided for a year now after he pleaded guilty to killing four students inside the halls of his high school in 2021. But - how much time he will serve in prison is the decision that many, especially families of the victims, have been waiting for. They'll finally get the answer this week.
The Oxford High School shooter, who we are no longer naming, will appear in court on Friday for a Miller Hearing. This hearing is required by law, based on his age, to determine if an adult facility is still the safest place for him to be. Since the shooting, he's had to appear for the monthly hearing, all of which have confirmed he will remain in the adult jail.
Friday's hearing will be different, however, as it will also be when Judge Kwame Rowe announces his decision on if the shooter will have the opportunity for parole during his sentence.
Because the shooter is a minor, the judge must evaluate all factors before deciding if he will be eligible for parole – or if he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Rowe will not be sentencing the shooter on Friday. Instead, the date of the sentencing is Dec. 8, 2023 – which will give victims of the 2021 mass shooting the opportunity to address the defendant.
Rowe's decision comes after four days of testimony over the summer where both the state and the shooter's defense argued their cases.
Previous testimony from victims and psychologists painted a grim picture of the shooter's actions and his headspace in the months and days leading up to the mass shooting that killed four students and injured seven others.
On the final day, both Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and defense attorney Paulette Loftin made their pitches for why the shooter should or shouldn't spend the rest of his life in prison.
The first two days of the hearing included disturbing details about the shooter's plan to "be the next school shooter" as is verbalized in a video recorded before the tragic event. There was also emotional testimony from a teacher who was face-to-face with the shooter.
The third day of testimony was from a witness from the defense, who made the argument the shooter was a ‘feral child’ and mentally unwell.
Trump speaks to autoworkers
The busy news cycle doesn't appear to be slowing down as twin narratives on the national level collided in Michigan Wednesday when Donald Trump, campaigning for the Republican nomination and skipping the GOP debate, spoke to auto workers at a facility in Clinton Township Wednesday.
The former president chastised Joe Biden and his push for electric vehicles. During his hour-long speech, he gave a shout-out to picketers and told them that workers in America were getting screwed.
He also hit Detroit automakers for their high-earning salaries before telling the workers the union negotiations going on didn't mean as much as they thought. He also pitched the UAW endorsing him.
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Former President Donald Trump takes aim at Big Three leadership, Biden in Michigan visit
Trump gave a shout-out to those on the front lines of Michigan’s auto industry in a crowd that included some UAW members at the otherwise non-union parts supplier Drake Enterprises.
It's not a likely outcome since the UAW president and many workers already made it known how they feel about Trump. However, the Republican candidate has outperformed other conservatives in his pitch to blue-collar workers in previous elections.
Read more about the speech here
Miggy honored in Detroit
While the season may be a forgettable one for the Detroit Tigers, it won't be for their star slugger as he completes one more round of major league baseball before calling it quits. And Miguel Cabrera has gotten quite the reception from other teams this year.
Perhaps the best is saved for last in Detroit, where buildings around the city are honoring Miggy. District Detroit will be decked out in designs to celebrate the star player who has made a name for himself in the city and around the country.
Buildings like the Fox Theatre, Little Caesars Arena, and MotorCity Casino Hotel will all honor the famed player by showing off a No. 24.
The season officially ends in October. The future hall-of-famer will also be honored with the blue and orange colors of the Tigers shining on buildings.
Midwest ‘crime tourist’ ring hits Oakland County
The highest-end homes in Oakland County have become burgler targets like near Turtle Lake in Bloomfield Township. It is just one neighborhood in the country that fell victim to an unusual rash of burglaries.
Sources said in some cases – hundreds of thousands of dollars in valuables are gone, and it’s believed an international crime ring is behind it all, so-called crime tourists. "It's frightening I mean I have three small children," said Lynn Dado, Oakland County resident. "I live right in this area. It's scary."
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International crime ring suspected as high-end burglaries in Oakland County spike
Sources said in some cases – hundreds of thousands dollars in valuables gone and it’s believed an international crime ring is behind it all: So-called crime tourists.
Dado, a mom, couldn’t believe it - an international crime ring? "One of the reasons we love this area is because it is so safe it's such a nice community," she said. "You're kind of insulated from a lot of the crime that happens."
Sheriff Bouchard says they’re launching a full-court press against the crew which has hit as many as 10 luxury homes, after whatever they can swoop in and grab. As investigators from agencies all over connect the dots – it looks like these crime tourists - traverse the Midwest, violating high-end homes, as they go.
Flu season just around the corner
Flu season is coming and doctors want us to get the shot. But how effective is it, and how is this vaccine different than year's past? Dr. Lea Monday, an infectious disease specialist with the Detroit Medical Center answered those questions for us.
"Fifty thousand people died of the flu last year or have some type of complication related to getting the flu, like pneumonia," she said. Monday says now is the time to consider getting vaccinated to protect against the coming flu season.
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Flu season is around the corner and doctor explains why getting the vaccine is important
Dr. Lea Monday, an infectious disease specialist with the Detroit Medical Center, spoke about misconceptions, fears and questions that go along with getting a vaccine.
"Last year, our flu season peaked a little earlier," she said. "In South America this year in the Southern Hemisphere, it peaked a little earlier. so there is potential this year for it to peak earlier as well." There are misconceptions, fears and questions that go along with getting a vaccine. One big question - how effective has the 2023 flu shot been thus far?
"The recent data that came out of South America showed it reduced hospitalizations by 52 percent," she said. "So this is very encouraging that as we move into flu season with the same vaccine in the Northern Hemisphere, we hope to see the same efficacy in our patients as well."
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Daily Forecast
After a rainy morning, we'll see more showers continue through early Thursday, eventually dropping off into spotty showers. This all precedes what is expected to be a beautiful weekend.
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A damp Thursday on the way with scattered showers
Rich Luterman has the forecast.
What else we're watching
- With early voting a new feature of the Michigan election system, Oakland County will be conducting time trials to see how its teams perform. The Board of Canvassers will kick things off at 10 a.m. Thursday.
- Is artificial intelligence invading the courtroom? It's likely A.I.-created deepfakes have already manipulated courtroom evidence, an ominous sign of things to come for the justice system. FOX 2's Derek Kevra investigates.
- The Powerball jackpot has reached $925 million after no one won the top prize during Wednesday's drawing. The next drawing will be Saturday.
- The UAW is expected to launch another round of strikes Friday without serious progress in its negotiations with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. We've entered Day 14 of the historic protest.
- The Lions take on a top division foe this Thursday in the team's second prime-time game of the season. They'll play the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. Here's how to watch.
2nd GOP debate: Candidates take shots at Trump and each other
Several of Donald Trump’s rivals stepped up their attacks against him in Wednesday’s second Republican presidential debate, urgently trying to dent the former president's commanding primary lead during an event that often seemed like an undercard without him.
Trump went to Michigan, aiming to capitalize on the autoworkers’ strike in a key state that could help decide the general election. His competitors, meanwhile, were asked by Fox Business moderators at the Ronald Reagan library in California to participate in a reality show-style game where they would write who else onstage they would vote "off the island." They refused.
The debate’s tone was far removed from a campaign that’s been driven by Trump’s attacks on his rivals and democratic institutions as well as his grievances about a litany of criminal indictments and civil cases targeting him and his businesses. The moderators did not ask about the indictments or why the people onstage were better qualified than Trump, instead posing questions about issues including education, economic policy and the U.S.-Mexico border.