(WXYZ) — Judge Kwame Rowe sentenced the Oxford High School shooter to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Friday in Oakland County Circuit Court.
“I hope that this sentence does allow you to close one chapter in your life,” Judge Rowe said to those in the courtroom before delivering the sentencing.
The hearing started with multiple impact statements from families and other victims of the 2021 shooting.
First to speak at the hearing are the families of the four students who were killed, Tate Myre, 16, Hana St. Juliana,14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17.
Nicole Beausoleil, mother of Madisyn Baldwin, approached the podium at the start of the hearing.
“Madisyn lives in all of us. Her legacy remains, her kindness continues now and forever,” said Beausoleil.
Addressing the actions of the shooter, Beausoleil said: "To the waste that took my daughter's life. That name will never come out of my mouth. That life will cease to exist to me. And just like trash, it will be forgotten. So while the attention that he has been seeking for this horrendous crime, you will get no reaction from me. But again, this is the life he chose."
Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre, said their family has a permanent hole in it following the loss of his son.
"We wear the pain like a heavy coat. Constant reminders every day. Every hour is the darkest time of the day," said Buck.
Tate's parents, in all their grief, started the 42 Strong The Tate Myre Foundation in their son's honor. It offers peer-to-peer mentorship.
"He was an amazing kid. He loved to give. He loved to serve," said Buck.
Tate's brother also spoke.
“My future kids can’t meet their uncle … I won’t get to have Tate as a groomsman,” said Trent Myre.
“My family will never be the same,” he added.
Craig Shilling, Justin Shilling's father, told the court that he struggles to get out of bed most days because of the grief of losing his son.
"It almost feels like 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 from work so we can get a few minutes to chat," said Craig.
Craig said the shooter should not have the opportunity to be back among his peers one day.
"My son doesn't get a second chance and neither should he. This individual has proven by carrying out these heinous and completely unnecessary acts of violence that he should never consider be considered fit to rejoin the society that despises this exact behavior"
Jill Soave, Justin's mother, also spoke in court.
"You may have ended Justin's life on this plane. But you did not in any way affect his soul. You don't have the power to do that. You may have caused the pain and terror as you intended to do. But you did not destroy us. There is more love and light in this world because of the legacies of Justin, Tate, Hana, Madisyn. I don't focus on hating you, but I also don't feel a drop of pity towards you. I don't feel anything towards you. You're nothing to me. You don't even exist," she said.
She ended saying, "One last thing I do want you to know. If you were that lonely, that miserable, that lost and you really needed a friend, Justin would have been your friend if you had only asked."
Reina St. Juliana, sister of Hana St. Juliana, read her impact statement along with one belonging to her mother.
"Every moment, every day, every experience, I think of Hana and I'm sad. Anything I do, even when I have a good moment, I am sad. I'm sad in the spring, in the summer, in the fall, in the winter. During Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and all holidays. Even if I have a happy moment, all I think about is if Hana were here and it blankets everything in sadness and heartbreak," her mom's statement read in part.
Reina then talked about the immense love she had for her sister.
"Hana is the one I went to for the little things, the big things and all the in-betweens. And as my little sister, she is my other half, my favorite person. She completes me. And there's not a single soul I could love more than Hana," she said.
Hana's father also spoke, sharing how she kept a list of potential careers on her phone — and how they will never know the souls she could have touched.
"A few paragraphs of words describing Hana can in no way fully capture her truly beautiful, caring soul nor impart her unlimited potential. Hana was an absolutely beautiful and thoughtful person," said Steve St. Juliana.
Before the sentencing, the prosecution and defense addressed the court, along with the defendant.
“Any sentence that they ask for, I ask that you do impose it on me,” the shooter said before his sentencing decision was announced. "I really am sorry for what I’ve done... I can try my best in the future to help other people, and that is what I will do."
The shooter had pleaded guilty to killing four students and injuring seven other people in the November 2021 shooting.
This past September, after a multi-day Miller hearing, Judge Kwame Rowe ruled that the shooter is eligible to serve life in prison without parole.
The parents of the Oxford High School shooter, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the 2021 shooting, and will be tried separately.
