Appeals Denied in Oxford, Matt Ratana, Skye, and Theranos Cases; Georgia Teen Likely to Plead Guilty

A Michigan appellate judge has denied Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter, permission to appeal his conviction with the District 2 Court. Crumbley, now 19, pleaded guilty to the 2021 shooting that killed four students and wounded others, and was sentenced to a no-parole life term in 2023 by Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe. His attempt to withdraw his guilty plea was also rejected, with the court finding that his plea was knowingly and voluntarily given. Crumbley's parents are serving 10-year prison terms for involuntary manslaughter.

In Georgia, a lawyer for Colt Gray, the teen accused of killing four people in a shooting at Apalachee High School, has indicated to Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nick Primm that Gray is likely to plead guilty. Prosecutors are considering a non-negotiated plea, and a psychologist's report is pending before a plea hearing expected in October. As a juvenile, Gray cannot be sentenced to death, and the key issue will be whether he receives life without parole or a chance at parole.

In the United Kingdom, Louis De Zoysa, who was convicted of murdering Metropolitan Police Sergeant Matt Ratana by shooting him in a custody cell in Croydon in September 2020, has lost his appeal against both his conviction and whole-life sentence. The Court of Appeal dismissed De Zoysa's applications, confirming that he will remain incarcerated for life. De Zoysa has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

In Scotland, Finlay MacDonald has lost his appeal against a murder conviction. MacDonald was sentenced to at least 28 years in prison for murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to kill three others in a series of shootings in August 2022. MacDonald stabbed his wife and shot others during the attacks.

Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of Theranos, has lost her bid to have her fraud conviction reheard by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Holmes was convicted on four counts of wire fraud and sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison in 2023. Theranos was once valued at $9 billion, and Holmes began serving her sentence in May 2023.