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1 min ago

My son "would've been your friend, if you had only asked him," school shooting victim's mother tells gunman

From CNN's Nicki Brown

The mother of school shooting victim Justin Shilling told the gunman that her son "would've been your friend, if you had only asked him."

"If you were that lonely, that miserable, that lost, and you really needed a friend, Justin would've been your friend, if you had only asked him," Jill Soave told the shooter in court Friday.

Soave said Justin's siblings, Clay and Nathan, were "robbed of much their youth, their innocence, their joy, their beloved middle brother Justin."

"Clay, who was only 15, was hiding in the school that day as well, fearing for his life and worrying about Justin's," she said.

At times, Soave spoke directly to the shooter, Ethan Crumbley.

"You may have caused the pain and terror as you intended to do, but you did not destroy us," Soave said. "There is more love and light in this world because of the legacies of Justin, Tate, Hana, and Madisyn."

Crumbley's head was down and he didn't appear to look at Soave when she spoke to him.

10 min ago

Justin Shilling's father says he still finds himself waiting up for his son to get home from work

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Ahead of giving his victim impact statement, Craig Shilling, father of 17-year-old Michigan school shooting victim Justin Shilling, told the judge it was the hardest thing he ever had to write, and that the court would hear a condensed version of what he has been working on for months.

"These days, there's not much happiness in the holidays. Birthdays and those milestone days don't carry the special feeling they always used to," he said.

"There are no words to accurately describe the pain we feel on a daily basis. I have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and struggle most days to even get out of bed. Anxiety, stress, sleepless nights and uncontrolled emotional heartbreak makes even the simplest, most normal things difficult," Craig Shilling said.

"The things I used to find enjoyment in are no longer reliable in that respect," he added, saying activities like golfing, kayaking, bowling and fishing are few of the many things he used to do with his son.

As his voice shook, Craig Shilling said the pain is debilitating, no matter how much you prepare or "how strong you think you are or how big your support network is."

"Time slows down and everything around you speeds up. It's been two years already, but feels much like yesterday. I still find myself waiting up for him to get home for work so we can get a few minutes to chat," he said.

He asked the judge to sentence shooter Ethan Crumbley to the harshest penalty possible — life in prison without parole.

"His blatant lack of human decency and disturbing thoughts on life in general do not in any way warrant a second chance. My son doesn't get a second chance, and neither should he," Craig Shilling said.

4 min ago

Family has been going through "complete hell" since son died, father of school shooting victim says

From CNN's Nicki Brown

The father of Tate Myre, who was killed in the Oxford High School shooting, said his family has been going through "complete hell" since his son died.

"Today has dealt us another hand of heartaches that we'll have to play," Buck Myre said at the shooter's sentencing. "For the past two years our family has been navigating our way through complete hell." 

Myre was the second person to give his victim impact statement in court Friday morning.

"As we navigate these treacherous waters, we try to honor Tate and, cause we know he's looking down on us," Myre said. "And I know he's not very proud of how his dad is handling this. But his dad's fighting, his mom's fighting, and his brothers are fighting." 

Myre said his family wanted the shooter to spend the rest of his life "rotting in his cell."

"What you stole from us is not replaceable, but what we won't let you steal from us is a life of normalcy. And we'll find a way to get there through forgiveness and through putting good into this world," he said.

11 min ago

"My scream should have shattered" the glass, mother of Madisyn Baldwin describes finding her after shooting

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Nicole Beausoleil, mother of 17-year-old Oxford High School student Madisyn Baldwin, recounted the moment she was told her daughter had died in the November 2021 school shooting.

"When I received word that the school was under attack, my daughter had already been gone for over an hour," she told the judge in her victim statement. She described not receiving any answers — just blank stares — as she asked authorities where her daughter was and saw other parents reunite with their kids.

When she was asked to walk into a room, she said she "felt this chill come across to my body so cold that I felt it in my bones."

She recounted feeling paralyzed when she heard her child had died. "I felt every scream that came from my body. I felt every breath I took was fading. My mind was in a state of dementia and then my body drops to the floor," she said in court.

"We were suffocating together in disbelief," she added. "The sobs came from a deep part in me. Tears soaked the cold floor I laid on."

The next day, when she was taken to identify Baldwin's body at the morgue, she said, "my scream should have shattered" the glass she looked through.

Beausoleil rejected the descriptions of Baldwin as "a statistic, a victim."

"How could these now be her associations?" she said. "I will not allow her name to be followed by the phrase 'Oxford shooting victim.' She will be remembered by her name, a name that is loved unconditionally, one that has no hidden remark, the strong name we gave her — Madisyn," she said.

1 hr 6 min ago

Victim impact statements begin

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Ahead of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley's sentencing, the court is hearing victim impact statements.

Before they began, the judge noted, "This is a very emotional period and I am aware of that. And I'm aware of the emotions that may become apparent in this case."

He advised people in the court to step out and use the composure room to ensure the integrity of the proceedings.

1 hr 7 min ago

Dozens of emotional victim impact statements expected as we learn fate of Michigan school shooter

From CNN's Jean Casarez, Omar Jimenez, and Aaron Cooper

We will soon learn whether the then-15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who opened fire at his Michigan high school killing four students in 2021, will face the toughest sentence in the state — after what is expected to be an emotional day in court with dozens of victim impact statements to be delivered Friday. 

Scores of family members, loved ones of those killed and injured and witnesses to the shooting are expected to deliver statements — the first to speak will be Nicole Beausoleil, whose daughter Madisyn Baldwin was one of the victims killed in the shooting, her attorney tells CNN. Those speaking Friday will be given as much time as they need, court officials have said.

According to court records, Crumbley’s parents —also facing charges in connection with his shooting — were denied access to physically attend the hearing.

The hearing has just come underway and is being streamed by the court.

More about the shooting: Four students were killed in the rampage, and seven people, including a teacher, were also shot and survived Earlier this year it was ruled the teen —now 17 — could face life in prison without parole, the harshest penalty in the state.

While he is eligible for a life sentence without parole, Crumbley could still be given a life sentence — with the possibility of parole. The judge will ultimately determine sentencing.

Crumbley has pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges related to the deadly rampage.

At the time of his guilty plea, the Oakland County Prosecutor said the case was the first in the country where a mass shooter has been convicted of terrorism on state charges

1 hr 13 min ago

The suspected Michigan school shooter was charged with terrorism

From CNN's Shimon Prokupecz and Steve Almasy

Ethan Crumbley, who is accused of killing four fellow students at a Michigan high school, was tried as an adult and faces murder, assault and weapons charges.

He also faces one count of terrorism causing death, a rare charge for a school shooting.

Here's how the county’s top prosecutor addressed the terrorism charge.

“There is no playbook about how to prosecute a school shooting and candidly, I wish I’d never even had – it didn’t occur so I wouldn’t have to consider it, but when we sat down, I wanted to make sure all of the victims were represented in the charges that we filed against this individual,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald told CNN. “If that’s not terrorism, I don’t know what is.”

She said there is a lot of digital evidence in the case – video and things on social media.

“But you probably don’t even need to see that to know how terrifying it is to be in close proximity of another student shooting and killing fellow students. I mean, it’s terror,” she added.

“Like every other child that was in that building, and I address that about the terrorism charge, we must have an appropriate consequence that speaks for the victims that were not killed or injured but also, they were affected, how do they go back to school?” she said.

Many students can’t eat or sleep, she noted.

“Their parents are sleeping next to them and we shouldn’t ignore that,” she told CNN. “There are obviously four children who were murdered and many others injured but over 1,000 were also victimized as well.”

Michigan law defines an act of terrorism as a “willful and deliberate act that is all of the following:”

• “An act that would be a violent felony under the laws of this state, whether or not committed in this state.
• “An act that the person knows or has reason to know is dangerous to human life.
• “An act that is intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence or affect the conduct of government or a unit of government through intimidation or coercion.”

The criminal complaint against Crumbley refers to the third condition and says the act was committed against the Oxford High School community.

Charging an accused school shooter with terrorism is rare. In 2018, an Ocala, Florida student who shot through a door and wounded another student, was charged with terrorism and later pleaded no contest to that count and other charges.

CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reported from Oxford and CNN’s Steve Almasy reported and wrote in Atlanta. CNN’s Carolyn Sung in Michigan and Kristina Squeglia contributed to this report.

54 min ago

What we know about the 4 students who were killed in the Michigan school shooting

From CNN's Aaron Cooper and Omar Jimenez

The four people who died in the Michigan school shooting were 17-year-old Justin Shilling, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana.

Madisyn Baldwin was expected to graduate that year, her family told CNN affiliate WDIV, and had already been accepted to several colleges – some with full scholarships. Baldwin was an artist who loved to draw, read and write, her family told WDIV. She was the eldest of three siblings, had a younger half-brother and two sisters she loved dearly, they said.

Tate Myre was dedicated to his sport. He was a star football player who had earned a spot on the varsity team since he was a freshman at Oxford High School, the team said in a tweet. Not only was he talented on the field, he excelled academically and was an honor student.

“My life has been broken just like that,” Ty Myre, who identified himself as Tate’s older brother, wrote on Instagram. “Never in my life will I feel this pain again. This still isn’t right it can’t be. I miss you with everything in my heart Tate. What I would do to see to one more time.”

“Listen to your voice one more time, block for you one more time, wrestle one more time. I had such high hopes for your future and I couldn’t wait to see you make your dream come true and for me to be right by your side along that road,” he added.

Hana St. Juliana was on the school's basketball team. “We will never forget your kind heart, silly personality, and passion for the game,” the team wrote on Twitter.

Justin Shilling was a scholar who was part of Oxford School District’s Baccalaureate program, a lettered athlete, and a university scholarship awardee and beloved by so many in his community, family and school, his family said in a statement.

“His potential was boundless in life and yet in death he continues to give of himself as an organ doner (sic). We feel the world can’t have too much of Justin,” the statement reads. “The loss of Justin leaves such a gaping hole in our family that we cannot conceive of life without him.”

“He was the only Justin Shilling there ever will be,” Craig Shilling, Justin’s father, told CNN ahead of Crumbley’s scheduled sentencing. It’s part of why he said they started the CHOOCH Foundation, which stands for Caring and Helping Others Often Creates Hope, in honor of Justin, because “that’s the kind of person he was,” said Shilling.

Jill Soave also created the “Forever Justin Shilling Foundation” to honor his love for nature. She told CNN Shilling was an organ donor and helped save the lives of six others through donations of his organs and tissue.

1 hr 24 min ago

Families involved in the trial have also filed civil lawsuits against the school

From CNN's Aaron Cooper and Omar Jimenez

While the the Michigan school shooter's sentencing in the criminal case is one major thing families are dealing with, they’ve also filed civil lawsuits alleging the school and some of its employees should have done more to stop the shooting from happening in the first place.

“I’m not really one of those guys that’s just gonna go out and sue, sue, sue,” said Craig Shilling, father of 17-year-old victim Justin Shilling. That said, “You have to have accountability. You have to know that everything, every rock was overturned, you looked everywhere, that all the questions got asked and answered,” he added.

An independent report commissioned by the Oxford Board of Education, and released in October, found in part, “that had proper threat assessment guidelines been in place and District threat assessment policy followed, this tragedy was avoidable.”

Ven Johnson, president of Ven Johnson Law in Detroit and Flint, Michigan, is representing a number of the Oxford shooting victims and families, including the Shillings and Gregorys, who have filed state and federal lawsuits.

“What we do in civil law is we go after everybody who’s culpable,” Johnson told CNN. “Their own paid-for report says they screwed up and could have prevented the shooting. And they didn’t. And yet, they’re still here in court, trying to get out of being held responsible.”

A portion of their civil claims center on the morning of the November 2021 shooting. Ethan Crumbley’s teacher found a note on his desk. It had a drawing of a handgun pointed at the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me,” as another section showed someone who appeared to have been shot twice and the words “blood everywhere,” according to the lawsuit.

That was among the warnings that prompted a meeting with school officials and his parents. His parents resisted the idea of taking him out of school, so he returned to class, according to the civil lawsuit. No one ever checked his backpack.

Hours later, he went into a bathroom with that backpack and came out with a gun, according to criminal prosecutors.

However, in state civil court, a judge sided with the school district, ruling the district was protected by governmental immunity and that the employees were not the “direct cause of the injury or damage.”

“That’s all B.S., if you ask me. I mean, you have to, you have to own up to your mistakes, no matter what they are,” Shilling said.

Meghan Gregory told CNN she won’t be able to rest until anyone who may be found culpable in the school district is held accountable. “I cannot let it go,” she said.

CNN has reached out to attorneys for the school district about the appeals process and for comment about governmental immunity wins they have had in state circuit court, but has not received a response.

The mother of school shooting victim Justin Shilling told the gunman that her son "would've been your friend, if you had only asked him."

"If you were that lonely, that miserable, that lost, and you really needed a friend, Justin would've been your friend, if you had only asked him," Jill Soave told the shooter in court Friday.

Soave said Justin's siblings, Clay and Nathan, were "robbed of much their youth, their innocence, their joy, their beloved middle brother Justin."

"Clay, who was only 15, was hiding in the school that day as well, fearing for his life and worrying about Justin's," she said.

At times, Soave spoke directly to the shooter, Ethan Crumbley.

"You may have caused the pain and terror as you intended to do, but you did not destroy us," Soave said. "There is more love and light in this world because of the legacies of Justin, Tate, Hana, and Madisyn."

Crumbley's head was down and he didn't appear to look at Soave when she spoke to him.

Ahead of giving his victim impact statement, Craig Shilling, father of 17-year-old Michigan school shooting victim Justin Shilling, told the judge it was the hardest thing he ever had to write, and that the court would hear a condensed version of what he has been working on for months.

"These days, there's not much happiness in the holidays. Birthdays and those milestone days don't carry the special feeling they always used to," he said.

"The things I used to find enjoyment in are no longer reliable in that respect," he added, saying activities like golfing, kayaking, bowling and fishing are few of the many things he used to do with his son.

As his voice shook, Craig Shilling said the pain is debilitating, no matter how much you prepare or "how strong you think you are or how big your support network is."

He asked the judge to sentence shooter Ethan Crumbley to the harshest penalty possible — life in prison without parole.

"His blatant lack of human decency and disturbing thoughts on life in general do not in any way warrant a second chance. My son doesn't get a second chance, and neither should he," Craig Shilling said.

The father of Tate Myre, who was killed in the Oxford High School shooting, said his family has been going through "complete hell" since his son died.

"Today has dealt us another hand of heartaches that we'll have to play," Buck Myre said at the shooter's sentencing. "For the past two years our family has been navigating our way through complete hell." 

Myre was the second person to give his victim impact statement in court Friday morning.

"As we navigate these treacherous waters, we try to honor Tate and, cause we know he's looking down on us," Myre said. "And I know he's not very proud of how his dad is handling this. But his dad's fighting, his mom's fighting, and his brothers are fighting." 

Myre said his family wanted the shooter to spend the rest of his life "rotting in his cell."

"What you stole from us is not replaceable, but what we won't let you steal from us is a life of normalcy. And we'll find a way to get there through forgiveness and through putting good into this world," he said.

Nicole Beausoleil, mother of 17-year-old Oxford High School student Madisyn Baldwin, recounted the moment she was told her daughter had died in the November 2021 school shooting.

"When I received word that the school was under attack, my daughter had already been gone for over an hour," she told the judge in her victim statement. She described not receiving any answers — just blank stares — as she asked authorities where her daughter was and saw other parents reunite with their kids.

When she was asked to walk into a room, she said she "felt this chill come across to my body so cold that I felt it in my bones."

She recounted feeling paralyzed when she heard her child had died. "I felt every scream that came from my body. I felt every breath I took was fading. My mind was in a state of dementia and then my body drops to the floor," she said in court.

"We were suffocating together in disbelief," she added. "The sobs came from a deep part in me. Tears soaked the cold floor I laid on."

The next day, when she was taken to identify Baldwin's body at the morgue, she said, "my scream should have shattered" the glass she looked through.

Beausoleil rejected the descriptions of Baldwin as "a statistic, a victim."

Ahead of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley's sentencing, the court is hearing victim impact statements.

He advised people in the court to step out and use the composure room to ensure the integrity of the proceedings.

We will soon learn whether the then-15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who opened fire at his Michigan high school killing four students in 2021, will face the toughest sentence in the state — after what is expected to be an emotional day in court with dozens of victim impact statements to be delivered Friday. 

Scores of family members, loved ones of those killed and injured and witnesses to the shooting are expected to deliver statements — the first to speak will be Nicole Beausoleil, whose daughter Madisyn Baldwin was one of the victims killed in the shooting, her attorney tells CNN. Those speaking Friday will be given as much time as they need, court officials have said.

According to court records, Crumbley’s parents —also facing charges in connection with his shooting — were denied access to physically attend the hearing.

The hearing has just come underway and is being streamed by the court.

More about the shooting: Four students were killed in the rampage, and seven people, including a teacher, were also shot and survived Earlier this year it was ruled the teen —now 17 — could face life in prison without parole, the harshest penalty in the state.

While he is eligible for a life sentence without parole, Crumbley could still be given a life sentence — with the possibility of parole. The judge will ultimately determine sentencing.

Crumbley has pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges related to the deadly rampage.

At the time of his guilty plea, the Oakland County Prosecutor said the case was the first in the country where a mass shooter has been convicted of terrorism on state charges

Ethan Crumbley, who is accused of killing four fellow students at a Michigan high school, was tried as an adult and faces murder, assault and weapons charges.

He also faces one count of terrorism causing death, a rare charge for a school shooting.

Here's how the county’s top prosecutor addressed the terrorism charge.

“There is no playbook about how to prosecute a school shooting and candidly, I wish I’d never even had – it didn’t occur so I wouldn’t have to consider it, but when we sat down, I wanted to make sure all of the victims were represented in the charges that we filed against this individual,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald told CNN. “If that’s not terrorism, I don’t know what is.”

She said there is a lot of digital evidence in the case – video and things on social media.

“But you probably don’t even need to see that to know how terrifying it is to be in close proximity of another student shooting and killing fellow students. I mean, it’s terror,” she added.

“Like every other child that was in that building, and I address that about the terrorism charge, we must have an appropriate consequence that speaks for the victims that were not killed or injured but also, they were affected, how do they go back to school?” she said.

Many students can’t eat or sleep, she noted.

“Their parents are sleeping next to them and we shouldn’t ignore that,” she told CNN. “There are obviously four children who were murdered and many others injured but over 1,000 were also victimized as well.”

Michigan law defines an act of terrorism as a “willful and deliberate act that is all of the following:”

The criminal complaint against Crumbley refers to the third condition and says the act was committed against the Oxford High School community.

Charging an accused school shooter with terrorism is rare. In 2018, an Ocala, Florida student who shot through a door and wounded another student, was charged with terrorism and later pleaded no contest to that count and other charges.

CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reported from Oxford and CNN’s Steve Almasy reported and wrote in Atlanta. CNN’s Carolyn Sung in Michigan and Kristina Squeglia contributed to this report.

The four people who died in the Michigan school shooting were 17-year-old Justin Shilling, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana.

Madisyn Baldwin was expected to graduate that year, her family told CNN affiliate WDIV, and had already been accepted to several colleges – some with full scholarships. Baldwin was an artist who loved to draw, read and write, her family told WDIV. She was the eldest of three siblings, had a younger half-brother and two sisters she loved dearly, they said.

Tate Myre was dedicated to his sport. He was a star football player who had earned a spot on the varsity team since he was a freshman at Oxford High School, the team said in a tweet. Not only was he talented on the field, he excelled academically and was an honor student.

“My life has been broken just like that,” Ty Myre, who identified himself as Tate’s older brother, wrote on Instagram. “Never in my life will I feel this pain again. This still isn’t right it can’t be. I miss you with everything in my heart Tate. What I would do to see to one more time.”

“Listen to your voice one more time, block for you one more time, wrestle one more time. I had such high hopes for your future and I couldn’t wait to see you make your dream come true and for me to be right by your side along that road,” he added.

Hana St. Juliana was on the school's basketball team. “We will never forget your kind heart, silly personality, and passion for the game,” the team wrote on Twitter.

Justin Shilling was a scholar who was part of Oxford School District’s Baccalaureate program, a lettered athlete, and a university scholarship awardee and beloved by so many in his community, family and school, his family said in a statement.

“His potential was boundless in life and yet in death he continues to give of himself as an organ doner (sic). We feel the world can’t have too much of Justin,” the statement reads. “The loss of Justin leaves such a gaping hole in our family that we cannot conceive of life without him.”

“He was the only Justin Shilling there ever will be,” Craig Shilling, Justin’s father, told CNN ahead of Crumbley’s scheduled sentencing. It’s part of why he said they started the CHOOCH Foundation, which stands for Caring and Helping Others Often Creates Hope, in honor of Justin, because “that’s the kind of person he was,” said Shilling.

Jill Soave also created the “Forever Justin Shilling Foundation” to honor his love for nature. She told CNN Shilling was an organ donor and helped save the lives of six others through donations of his organs and tissue.

While the the Michigan school shooter's sentencing in the criminal case is one major thing families are dealing with, they’ve also filed civil lawsuits alleging the school and some of its employees should have done more to stop the shooting from happening in the first place.

“I’m not really one of those guys that’s just gonna go out and sue, sue, sue,” said Craig Shilling, father of 17-year-old victim Justin Shilling. That said, “You have to have accountability. You have to know that everything, every rock was overturned, you looked everywhere, that all the questions got asked and answered,” he added.

An independent report commissioned by the Oxford Board of Education, and released in October, found in part, “that had proper threat assessment guidelines been in place and District threat assessment policy followed, this tragedy was avoidable.”

Ven Johnson, president of Ven Johnson Law in Detroit and Flint, Michigan, is representing a number of the Oxford shooting victims and families, including the Shillings and Gregorys, who have filed state and federal lawsuits.

“What we do in civil law is we go after everybody who’s culpable,” Johnson told CNN. “Their own paid-for report says they screwed up and could have prevented the shooting. And they didn’t. And yet, they’re still here in court, trying to get out of being held responsible.”

That was among the warnings that prompted a meeting with school officials and his parents. His parents resisted the idea of taking him out of school, so he returned to class, according to the civil lawsuit. No one ever checked his backpack.

Hours later, he went into a bathroom with that backpack and came out with a gun, according to criminal prosecutors.

However, in state civil court, a judge sided with the school district, ruling the district was protected by governmental immunity and that the employees were not the “direct cause of the injury or damage.”

“That’s all B.S., if you ask me. I mean, you have to, you have to own up to your mistakes, no matter what they are,” Shilling said.

Meghan Gregory told CNN she won’t be able to rest until anyone who may be found culpable in the school district is held accountable. “I cannot let it go,” she said.

CNN has reached out to attorneys for the school district about the appeals process and for comment about governmental immunity wins they have had in state circuit court, but has not received a response.