Current:Home > FinanceTrump gunman researched Crumbley family of Michigan shooting. Victim's dad 'not surprised' -ValueMetric
Trump gunman researched Crumbley family of Michigan shooting. Victim's dad 'not surprised'
View
Date:2025-04-16 04:28:12
A Michigan father whose 14-year-old daughter was gunned down by a school shooter in 2021 said he was not surprised to learn that the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump had researched the massacre that devastated Oxford High School.
"It's pretty established that all of these shooters research what's gone on before, so it's not really a surprise," said Steve St. Juliana, whose daughter Hana was one of four killed by Ethan Crumbley at the high school. He and his older daughter are part of a no-notoriety movement, which encourages the media not to over-publicize a mass shooter's name and image to avoid giving them the notoriety they crave, potentially inspiring other would-be shooters.
In a meeting with lawmakers Friday, the FBI and U.S. Secret Service disclosed that they found a picture of Crumbley's mug shot on the cell phone of Trump's would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who also had been researching Crumbley's parents on the internet, according to CNN.
St. Juliana told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that when he learned about Trump's would-be assassin researching the Oxford shooter and his parents, the notoriety aspect was "the first thing that came to mind."
"It just (supports) what myself and my daughter have been pushing for — no notoriety," St. Juliana said. "This is just a perfect example of why ... It feeds on itself."
Expert: Trump would-be-assassin used Crumbley 'as a mentor'
Forensic psychologist Colin King, who interviewed the Oxford shooter and testified at various hearings involving the juvenile's life without parole sentence, said he suspects the Trump shooter was looking for tips from the Oxford case.
"It appears he researched the Oxford shooter and in some way used him as a mentor to perpetuate violence against former President Trump," King said. "It appears, however, that he was looking for a high profile target that will somehow gain high notoriety, either in life or in death."
Andy Arena, Detroit's former FBI chief, said he also was not surprised to learn that Crooks was researching the Crumbleys.
"(There are) a lot of similarities between the two shooters: Two young men, both appear to have struggled to fit in," Arena said.
The two men also both reportedly battled mental health issues, as the FBI and Secret Service said they have learned that Crooks also searched for information on major depressive disorder — which Crumbley was diagnosed with — and depressive crisis treatment.
"It sounds as though he's someone who was also struggling with mental illness, which was either unnoticed or untreated," said King, noting that Crumbley wrote in his journal that his parents ignored his pleas for mental health issues.
Oxford and Trump rally shooter both used their dads' guns
Investigators have said Crooks used a gun owned by his father to try to kill the former president; Crumbley also used a gun bought by his father to shoot up his school.
James and Jennifer Crumbley, the Oxford shooter's mom and dad, made history this year when they became the first parents in America to be convicted in a mass school shooting carried out by their son. Two separate juries concluded the Crumbleys failed to secure a gun in their home and ignored their son's mental health issues, and therefore were responsible.
Their son is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The parents got 10 years in prison. All three Crumbleys are appealing.
According to the FBI and the Secret Service, as reported by CNN, Trump's shooter made numerous online searches for major political figures from both parties, including Trump and Biden, and their political events. Three days after the Trump campaign announced its rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Crooks searched for the date and location of the Democratic National Convention, which takes place in August in Chicago, and for the location of the Butler Trump rally, where a sniper shot and killed Crooks within seconds of him opening fire on Trump from the top of a roof about 150 yards away.
One of his bullets struck Trump's right ear. A firefighter attending the rally with his family, Corey Comperatore, was killed. Two other attendees were critically injured.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
veryGood! (36556)
Related
- Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
- Brutal killings of women in Western Balkan countries trigger alarm and expose faults in the system
- Florida State beats Stanford for its fourth women’s soccer national championship
- The Ultimate Gift Guide for Every Woman in Your Life: Laneige, UGG, Anthropologie, Diptyque & More
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Musician Carl Mueller III fatally stabbed in Philadelphia: 'He was brilliant'
- French lawmakers approve bill to ban disposable e-cigarettes to protect youth drawn to their flavors
- Biography of the late Rep. John Lewis that draws upon 100s of interviews will be published next fall
- 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
- Biden is spending most of the week raising money at events with James Taylor and Steven Spielberg
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Owners of a funeral home where 190 decaying bodies were found to appear in court
- Coach Outlet’s Holiday Gift Guide Has the Perfect Gifts for Everyone on Your Nice List
- Academy Museum Gala: Leonardo DiCaprio, Salma Hayek, Selena Gomez, more shine on red carpet
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- 2023 NFL MVP odds: Brock Purdy moves into three-way tie for lead after Week 13
- A roadside bombing in the commercial center of Pakistan’s Peshawar city wounds at least 3 people
- These 40 Holiday Gifts From Kardashian-Jenner Brands Will Make You Say You're Doing Amazing, Sweetie
Recommendation
NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
Detroit on track to record fewest homicides since 1966, officials say
A roadside bombing in the commercial center of Pakistan’s Peshawar city wounds at least 3 people
Warren Buffett’s company’s bribery allegations against the Haslam family won’t be decided in January
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
What we know about CosMc's, McDonald's nostalgic spin-off coming to some cities in 2024
National Cookie Day 2023: How to get deals, freebies and even recipes to try at home
Cyclone Michaung flooding inundates Chennai airport in India as cars are swept down streets