Ethan Crumbley, the teenager charged with killing four students at a Michigan high school, will pursue an insanity defense, the Associated Press reports. The insanity defense requires that he take a mental exam. Experts confirm that he did not understand the wrongfulness of killing the other students. Crumbley is also accused of wounding six other students and a teacher. If the insanity defense is successful, Crumbley will be sent to a state psychiatric center.
The parents of some of the victims are pursuing a lawsuit against the school administration and Crumbley's parents, alleging negligence. The lawsuit says Crumbley's parents were aware that he was looking at ammunition on his phone at school, had access to a gun, and that staff took no action after seeing the teenager's disturbing drawings depicting a shooting. The lawsuit seeks at least $25,000. In December, the parents of another teen who was shot filed suit seeking $100 million.