James and Jennifer Crumbley, the first parents of a U.S. school shooter to be found guilty, appeared together at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, marking their first joint appearance in months.
During the hearing, both parents expressed regret over their son’s actions, while their lawyers sought to mitigate their prison sentence.
Originally, a seven-year sentence was recommended, but prosecutors argued for a longer sentence.
In a historic case, jurors in separate trials earlier this year found each parent of shooter Ethan Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Judge Cheryl Matthews explained that the increased sentence of 10 to 15 years was intended as a deterrent and reflected the parents’ failure to prevent the attack.
“They are not expected to be psychic. But these convictions are not about poor parenting. They concern acts that could have stopped a runaway train,” Judge Matthews stated during the court proceedings.
“Opportunity presented itself repeatedly, getting louder and louder, yet it was disregarded.”
The Crumbleys will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 15 years if parole is denied.
Prosecutors argued that the couple ignored clear signs of their son’s deteriorating mental health and highlighted their decision to purchase the gun used in the 2021 attack.
Their son, Ethan Crumbley, was 15 years old when he fatally shot four students with a semi-automatic handgun at Oxford High School. Seven others were injured in the shooting.
Ethan Crumbley is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, parents of the deceased students, all under the age of 17, delivered emotionally charged victim impact statements in court.
Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of 17-year-old victim Madisyn Baldwin, directly addressed Ethan Crumbley’s parents during her statement.
“In the moments when you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essay,” a tearful Ms. Beausoleil expressed during her statement.
“You made a decision that parenting wasn’t a priority,” she added. “And because of that, I’ve lost my daughter.”
Jill Soave, the mother of another victim, 17-year-old Justin Shilling, was the second parent to speak. She acknowledged the difficulty of expressing her horror and trauma in words.
Directly addressing James and Jennifer Crumbley, she criticized their “failure to act” and prevent a “completely preventable” tragedy.
“If only they had done something, anything, to change the course of events,” she lamented.
In individual trials for each parent, prosecutors accused the Crumbleys of disregarding warning signs indicating their son’s escalating mental health crisis. They alleged negligence in purchasing a gun for him and failing to store it properly.
Prosecutors recommended sentences based on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, corresponding to each of the four students killed.
During Tuesday’s sentencing, the prosecution highlighted James Crumbley’s alleged “total lack of remorse,” citing a profanity-laden transcript from a jail call where he purportedly made death threats against the lead prosecutor in the case.
James Crumbley’s defense attorneys disagreed, characterizing his remarks as “venting” driven by anger, rather than reflective of his true sentiments.
The shooter’s father expressed regret in a statement before the hearing and reiterated his wish for having acted differently in court.
“I cannot express how much I wish that I had known what was going on with him or what was going to happen, because I absolutely would have done a lot of things differently.”
Jennifer Crumbley also shared her own regret to the families affected.
“I stand today not to ask for your forgiveness, as I know it may be beyond reach, but to express my sincerest apologies for the pain that has been caused,” she said in court
James Crumbley’s lawyer, Mariell Lehman, emphasized that there was no evidence suggesting Ethan Crumbley’s father was aware of his son’s plans.
Defense attorneys further argued that this case lacked legal precedent and contended that holding the parents accountable for each person killed by their son was inappropriate.
Prosecutors and the judge did not agree with the defense’s arguments.
On the day of the tragic shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, the Crumbleys left a school meeting abruptly after learning about a disturbing drawing their son had created. Instead of taking him home, they chose to go to work.
Later, school staff allowed Ethan Crumbley to return to class without inspecting his backpack, which contained the gun purchased by his parents.
An independent investigation conducted last year highlighted several failures within the school system, including the decision to readmit Ethan to class without checking his backpack.
In response to these findings, the school district has committed to reviewing and enhancing its practices and policies to prevent similar incidents in the future.
