Michigan school shooter’s parents sentenced to decade or more in prison

Judge Cheryl Matthews sentenced James and Jennifer Crumbley on Tuesday to between 10 and 15 years in prison. The pair were convicted earlier on several involuntary manslaughter charges in connection to a school shooting perpetrated by their son, Ethan. The then-15-year-old fatally shot four students and wounded seven other people at Oxford High School in 2021. They are the first parents in U.S. history to be convicted and sentenced on charges related to a mass school shooting their child committed. Both pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors allege the parents chose to ignore warning signs, neglected their son’s mental health, and made a gun available to him. During their separate trials, the couple’s attorneys insisted the shooting could not have been anticipated.

How did prosecutors argue it could have been anticipated? The gun used in the shooting, a Sig Sauer 9mm semiautomatic pistol, was purchased by James with Ethan four days before the attack. Investigators found used shooting range targets hung in Ethan’s bedroom, which prosecutors said proved his parents were aware of his access to a gun and how to use it. Prosecutors argued neglect on James’ part for not placing a trigger lock on the firearm, a basic safety precaution. The couple also met with school officials on the day of the shooting about a violent drawing on their son’s paper that had a note asking for help. James and Jennifer did not inform administrators of Ethan’s access to a firearm and sent him back to class hours before the shooting began. Investigators also pointed to entries in Ethan’s journal as proof that the couple neglected their son’s mental health.

However, the Crumbleys’ attorneys argued the couple allowed their son to stay in school the day of the shooting because administrators assured them that he posed no threat to himself or others. They also argued that the couple did take firearm safety measures by storing the weapon unloaded and keeping ammunition in a separate area. Ethan pleaded guilty to all 24 charges against him last year and received a life sentence without parole.

What else was shared during sentencing? Families from all four of the deceased victims shared emotional impact statements before the court, asking the judge for the maximum sentence. James and Jennifer also addressed the court before sentencing, each re-emphasizing the sorrow they felt for victims and their families and how the attack shattered their own lives. Jennifer said that she found God since her detainment, describing hours of silent prayer and how she has depended on God for strength during the legal proceedings.

Will the sentences include time served? Along with their respective sentences, each received fines of about $400 and credit for just over two years in time already served toward their sentence. Both were also banned from contacting the families of the children their son killed.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew on the behavioral experts discussing the important role relationships play in stopping school shootings before they start.