Parents of the teenager who killed four students in the 2021 school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, have been sentenced. An Oakland County judge sentenced them on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, to 10 to 15 years in prison, weeks after a jury convicted them of manslaughter.
James and Jennifer Crumbley, who each face up to 15 years in prison, have been imprisoned for over two years. Authorities arrested them in a Detroit warehouse days after their son carried out the school shooting. Although the two had separate trials, their sentencing happened together in an Oakland County courtroom.
They are the first parents sentenced for a mass school shooting committed by their child. As the nation continues to grapple with the scourge of gunfire on campus, the Crumbleys case sets a precedent. Before imposing her sentences, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews told families of the victims she could never understand their pain.
However, she assured them she “saw what you saw and I heard what you heard” at both trials. The convictions, she said, were not about poor parenting. “These convictions confirm repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train,” the judge said.
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“It’s about repeatedly ignoring things that make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand.” “Opportunity knocked over and over again, louder and louder,” Matthews added. “No one answered. And these two people should have and sure didn’t.”
Furthermore, the judge said James Crumbley provided “unfettered access to a gun or guns and ammunition in your home.” On the other hand, Matthews said Jennifer Crumbley “glorified the use and possession of these weapons.” Before their sentencing, the Crumbleys also addressed the families and the court.
“I sit here today to express my deepest sorrows for the families of Hana, Tate, Madisyn, Justin,” Jennifer Crumbley said. “And to all those affected on November 30, 2021.” In addition, Jennifer said she was there “not to ask for your forgiveness.”
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However, she expressed her “sincerest apologies for the pain” her son caused them.” Jennifer Crumbley added, “I will be in my own internal prison for the rest of my life.” Similarly, James Crumbley addressed the victims’ families, saying he couldn’t imagine the pain and agony they felt.
“I cannot express how much I wish I knew what was going on with (Ethan) or what was going to happen,” he added. “Because I absolutely would have done a lot of things differently.”
During the sentencing, the parents of the slain students also addressed the court and the defendants. Nicole Beausoleil, mother of Madisyn Baldwin, remembered her daughter’s laugh, smile, and creativity before turning her comments to the Crumbleys.
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“When you texted ‘Ethan, don’t do it,'” Beausoleil said, growing emotional. “I was texting Madisyn, ‘I love you, please call mom.'” Justin Shilling’s dad, Craig, also spoke of the “pain, anger, heartache, regret, anxiety, stress” he lives with every day. “The blood of our children is on your hands,” he told the defendants.
In separate sentencing memos, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence each parent to 10 to 15 years in state prison. They claimed the parents showed a “chilling lack of remorse.” Furthermore, the prosecution noted James Crumbley made threats against Karen McDonald, a prosecuting attorney, in several jail calls.
“There will be retribution, believe me,” he said in one, according to the memo. However, the defense denied the allegation, saying James didn’t threaten McDonald.
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