The parents of a Michigan teen who killed four students in 2021 were sentenced on Tuesday to 10 to 15 years.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Judge Cheryl Matthews said Jennifer and James Crumbley failed to intervene before their 15-year-old son, Ethan, opened fire at Oxford High School — killing four and injuring seven. The parents claimed they had no indication their son was mentally ill, that they were unaware of his plans to shoot up the school, and that he did not have open access to guns.
The judge disagreed.
“Mr. Crumbley, it’s clear to this court that because of you, there was unfettered access to guns in your home,” she said, describing Jennifer Crumbley as “apathetic” on the day of the shooting.
BREAKING: A judge has sentenced James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford, Michigan, school shooter, to 10 to 15 years in prison in connection with attack carried out by their son. https://t.co/WQrSfxqTgF pic.twitter.com/9pXRHP0nJ7
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 9, 2024
Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for their role in the Oxford High School shooting. Last year, Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to the shooting and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Jennifer and Ethan Crumbley were criminally charged for failing to get their son mental health treatment and not securing the gun used in the mass school shooting. Additionally, James Crumbley purchased his teen son the gun which he used to carry out the shooting four days later.
“When you texted Ethan ‘Don’t do it,’ I was texting Madisyn, ‘I love you, please call mom.’”
Nicole Beausoleil, mother of Michigan shooting victim Madisyn Baldwin, gives a victim impact statement at the sentencing of James and Jennifer Crumbley.
More: https://t.co/TTh6jnIlRa pic.twitter.com/BHroT50IAm
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) April 9, 2024
School officials had a meeting with Ethan Crumbley’s parents the morning of the shooting, amid concerns about a threatening drawing he drew in class. Despite this, the teen’s parents kept him in school that day. He would carry out the shooting hours later.
The Crumbleys were given credit for the two-and-a-half years they had already spent in jail. The Detroit Free Press reported that they plan to appeal Tuesday’s sentences.
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[Feature Photo: Oakland County Sheriff’s Office via AP]
