Oxford High School shooter said it was 'for the right of humanity' night before crime
OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Oxford High School shooter believed killing students would teach a lesson and benefit society, according to a recording he made the night before the crime.
Hear the full recording above.
The nearly 20-minute-long recording played in court Thursday starts with the shooter introducing himself and saying it was 10:05 p.m. Nov. 29, 2021. The shooting happened on the afternoon of Nov. 30, 2021.
**Per the request of the families of the victims, we are removing the name of the Oxford High School shooter from this story and all future stories.
The then 15-year-old discusses how he considered joining the military growing up but did not see how that could make him happy. He then launches into a rant about education and the government, saying that schools and the government are brainwashing people so that everyone becomes working class.
"I am not only shooting up the school because I’m mentally depressed or mentally ill and have anxiety that struggles me every day. But I’m doing it to teach a word that all the…(expletive) dunces out there that brains are too, skulls are too (expletive) dull to understand anything," he says. "It’s for the right of humanity."
Related: Suspect sent text message foreshadowing school shooting
He also refers to 1920-1980 as the "golden age of humanity," saying that people knew the difference between war and peace and knew how to cooperate.
"What I’m doing is an act to show that people are taking it away, and I’m trying to preserve it," he says. "To show that no one is safe no matter how hard they work."
After his rant, he details his shooting plan, saying that it is "a chance to teach the world to become a better place.'
He describes the weapon he will use and when he got it before laying out the time and place the shooting will start.
"I'm going to open fire on everyone in that hallway," he says. "I will try to hit as many people as I can."
According to the shooter, he would be teaching the students a lesson by shooting them.
"I’m going to teach them a lesson of how they’re wrong, of how they’re being brainwashed," he says.
He also says that he knows he will go to prison, adding that Michigan does not have the death penalty.
"I do not want to die. I realize how valuable life is," he says.
Other evidence shared in court shows that he was aware that he could spend his life in prison but had done research to make sure he wouldn't get the death penalty for the shooting.
MORE: Shooter's journal, search history show thorough planning of shooting
He ends the video by apologizing to his parents.
"I am ruining my life and not yours," he says.
His parents are facing involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the school shooting. The parents are accused of buying the shooter the handgun he used and neglecting his mental health.
The defense attorneys have argued that whatever the parents did might have been considered bad parenting, but it was not the cause of the deaths, and they want the case thrown out.
READ: New evidence reveals shooter's parents had 'consciousness of guilt'
Their cases are supposed to be going to trial but have been slowed down as the parents try to get the charges dropped.
Meanwhile, their son is awaiting his fate after pleading guilty to four counts of murder, one count of terrorism, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony after the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting.
If he was an adult, he could have received an automotive life without parole sentence. However, since he is a minor, a Miller hearing must be held before he can be sentenced.
Mandatory life without parole sentences are prohibited for children after a 2012 Supreme Court ruling. These sentences can still be imposed, but they require a special hearing to decide if it is appropriate.
His hearing began Thursday and could extend into next week as Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe hears the facts of the case. Rowe will then decide if a sentence that includes no chance of parole is appropriate.
You can watch the hearing live below.
After that, his sentencing will be scheduled.