Judge orders Michigan school shooter’s name not be used during parents’ trial

The name of the Michigan school shooter suspect will not be used during the criminal trial of his parents after a judge granted a prosecutor’s request on the matter, The Associated Press reported.

In a motion filed earlier this month, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement that she did not want the shooter’s name used in public filings or spoken in court, alleging that 15-year-old teen Ethan Crumbley wanted to be famous, the news outlet noted.

“Shooters want to be famous,” the prosecutor said, according to the AP. “It’s one of the key motivators for most shooters, and it was definitely a motivator for the Oxford shooter. He wanted to be famous and he wanted to be remembered.”

McDonald said that she did not want to potentially contribute to a future school shooting by publicizing his name, adding that prosecutors do not use his name in court briefs or while speaking in court.

“Calling the shooter by name does not appear to be relevant to these proceedings and prohibiting its use does not appear to prejudice the defense in any way,” Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews wrote in her ruling, according to the AP.

The development comes as the 15-year-old faces two dozen charges for allegedly killing four students and injuring seven others during a school shooting in Oxford, Mich. in November. 

His parents were each charged with involuntary manslaughter, with prosecutors citing the accessibility of the gun and their keeping him in school despite meeting with school officials who outlined concerns about the teen. 

The Michigan judge, noting that both parents were being represented by lawyers from the same firm, also assigned them independent counsel, AP reported.

“The appointment of counsel will not be a substitute for the defendants’ current counsel of choice or to report back to this court,” Matthews noted, according to the news wire.

Shannon Smith declined to comment on behalf of herself and Mariell Lehman, who each represent one of the parents, but she noted that in their written responses they did not object to the teen’s name not being used in court or the appointment of independent counsel.

— Updated March 23 at 3:00 p.m.