Ethan Crumbley has been reveling in being sent fan mail in jail, with prosecutors saying that it proves the accused Michigan high school shooter is “fascinated with violence” and “enjoy[s] his dark side”.
The 15-year-old appeared in court on Tuesday where prosecutors and his defence argued over moving the teen to a juvenile facility while he awaits trial over the 30 November mass shooting at Oxford High School.
Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Collins told the court that Ethan should stay put in adult jail because he has “a deeper and more calculated mind than any other 15-year-old”.
The teenager has allegedly been basking in the notoriety surrounding his case, asking jailers how he can get his hands on fan mail being sent to him.
“How to do I get my fan mail? How do I get my hate mail?” the prosecutor said he had been asking.
Ethan is accused of murdering four students and wounding seven other people in what was the deadliest school shooting in America since Parkland in 2018.
Ethan’s legal team has requested that he be transferred from Oakland County jail, where he has been held since his arrest on the day of the massacre, to Children’s Village in Pontiac.
Prosecutors argued that he would pose a risk to other juveniles at the children’s facility and that he has proven he is calculating and enjoying the infamy his alleged crimes are bringing him.
“He knows that he’s going to have people who admire him and who hate him alike, and he wants that notoriety,” Ms Collins said.
“He communicates with others and takes the opportunity to commiserate with those who gravitate toward him ... those who commend him for his actions.”
The court heard that he has access to a tablet in jail where he is communicating with other young people by email and telling “some of his fans out there: My next court date is February 22. Maybe you can watch me on TV”.
Prosecutors pointed to the teenager’s purported admiration of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and Adolf Hitler, saying that he “wants that notoriety” for his own alleged crimes.
In messages to friends, Ethan “spoke of his admiration for Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer, specifically stating, when you die, you need to be remembered for a long time”, according to prosecutors.
“He wants to be remembered. His actions were not impulsive. They were calculated, rehearsed and well thought-out,” said Ms Collins.
Other disturbing behaviour also came to light, with prosecutors claiming that the 15-year-old wrote about wanting to rape a female, torture and murder a female classmate and enjoyed listening to baby birds dying.
“In text threads with his friend, and in his journal, he outlines plans to stalk, rape, torture and ultimately kill a female classmate,” Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Markeisha Washington said.
“He expressed delight in torturing a family of baby birds and he wrote about the joy of listening to them squeal as he killed them.”
Ethan’s attorney Paulette Loftin told the judge that the fan mail – a lot of which is from adult women – could be more closely monitored at a juvenile facility.
“These are emails from strangers all around the world. At Children’s Village we are able to control that communication,” she said.
The attorney also argued that the adult jail is “not equipped” to care for the teenager who may be in need of psychiatric help.
She said that the suspect – who allegedly murdered four teenagers aged 14 to 17 – should be able to await trial with other people his age as he has no prior criminal or disciplinary school record.
The judge will rule later this week where Ethan will be held while awaiting trial.
He has been charged with 24 counts including terrorism and four counts of first-degree murder.
He has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys have indicated that he intends to plead insanity.
In an unprecedented move from prosecutors, the alleged gunman’s parents are also behind bars at the same adult jail as their son after being charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter for their alleged roles in the mass shooting.
James and Jennifer Crumbley bought their son the gun used in the shooting days earlier, left is accessible to him and ignored multiple red flags about his disturbing behaviour, according to prosecutors.
