Accused high school shooter Ethan Crumbley will plead insanity to an attack that killed four of his classmates, announced his attorneys on Thursday, per the New York Post.
Crumbley is the sole suspect of a shooting that took place on November 30 at Oxford High School in Michigan.
The 15-year-old’s attorney wrote in a one-sentence filing at Oakland County Circuit Court: "Please take notice that … Ethan Crumbley intends to assert the defense of insanity at the time of the alleged offense."
He faces a total of 24 charges, including terrorism, four counts of murder, and seven counts of attempted murder for wounding six other students and a teacher.
An insanity plea will likely mean that the teenager – who is being tried as an adult and held without bail - undergoes mental health exams and assessments.
The news of his plea came on the same day that his parents and school officials were named in a new lawsuit over their failure to prevent the tragic attack.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are already in custody, having been charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly giving their son the gun which he used to murder his classmates, and ignoring clear warning signs of his intentions.
Both parents now face additional charges, having been named alongside their son and Oxford school officials in a lawsuit accusing them of reckless conduct and negligence in failing to prevent the shooting.
Filed by the parents of Tate Myre – one of the four murdered students – the suit is seeking at least $25,000 in damages.
William Myre spoke about the devastating loss of his 16-year-old son at a press conference, saying: "We’re sad and heartbroken — our lives forever changed."
"Our family will never be the same. We’re not doing good. All we do is walk around the house and think about Tate," he added.
The lawsuit was also filed on behalf of other families whose children had been left traumatized by the attack.
They include Chad and Meghan Gregory, whose son Keegan watched fellow student Justin Shilling murdered in front of him, and Lauren Aliano, whose two daughters his in classrooms throughout the shooting.
Oxford high school resumed class for the first time since the shooting this month, with a hybrid working schedule in place to help students and staff ease back into the building as slowly as possible,
