On Thursday, March 14, 2024, a court declared James Crumbley, father of the Michigan school shooter, guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The court found him guilty in his son’s murderous rampage in Michigan after his wife’s sentencing earlier this year.
Following the court’s ruling, the parents of those killed in the Oxford High School shooting embraced the trial victory. However, they shifted their focus to the next challenge: conquering the root of the problem. The parents vowed to hold the school accountable and end gun violence across the nation.
“We’re not done,” said Steve St. Juliana, whose 14-year-old daughter Hana died in the shooting. “There is so much more that absolutely must be done.” “Our children are dying daily in mass murders, and we do very little about it,” he said. “We complain about Second Amendment rights.”
“Or we say, ‘Oh, there’s not enough money to put in for mental health issues,'” St. Juliana added. “It’s the No. 1 killer of our kids, folks.” “We can put people on the moon. We can build skyscrapers, huge monuments like the Hoover Dam,” he added. “And we can’t keep our kids safe in schools. People need to wake up and take action.”
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During his speech, St. Juliana urged parents to deal with the issue head-on without party affiliations. “Stop making excuses. Stop buying the rhetoric. And stop with the politics,” he pleaded. “It’s not a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s nonpartisan. Do not excuse any of the politicians.”
In addition, the 14-year-old victim’s father noted that the issue needed urgent attention. “This needs to be solved, and it needs to be solved now,” St. Juliana said. “We do not want any parents to go through what we have gone through. It’s as simple as that.”
The case of James Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer, is the first in the US. The Crumbleys, whose teenage son Ethan murdered injured students at Oxford High School in November 2021, are the first parents in the nation to face sentencing for a child’s school shooting.
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In February 2024, a court convicted Jennifer Crumbley on involuntary manslaughter charges. Hence, both parents await their sentencing on April 9, 2024. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, pleaded guilty to the murders and other charges. Therefore, he is serving life in prison without parole.
According to reports, the 15-year-old carried out his rampage with a gun his father had bought for him days earlier. However, despite the parents’ conviction, the victims’ parents promise to hold more people accountable. Buck Myre, whose son Tate died in the shooting, said Oxford High School also will be held responsible in court.
“No parent should go through the hell we’re going through,” Myre said as he addressed the guilty verdicts. “We’ve taken care of three legs, but there’s still a fourth leg, and that’s the school,” Myre noted. “It’s time for the school to pony up.”
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He added, “It’s time to break up that administration country club, and it’s time for change.” Myre stressed, “We’ve got four kids here dead, and no one wants to take accountability. That needs to start tomorrow.” Those murdered by Crumbley’s son were Tate, 16; Hana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17.
“It’s more than the gun,” the agitated father, Myre, added. “Our kids are not doing well these days. We’re in a mental health crisis.” He said, The gun is just a tool. So we got to look at other things other than the gun.” Similarly, Craig Shilling, whose son Justin died in a bathroom during the shooting, also pleaded for change.
“I really can’t say enough about the importance of what we just went through,” Shilling said of the grueling trial. “It’s a monumental decision.” He added, “There’s still so much in front of us.”
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