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James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty of manslaughter in the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan.
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James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of teenager who killed four people The students involved in the 2021 Oxford, Michigan, school shooting are scheduled to be sentenced to prison on Tuesday, weeks after being found guilty of manslaughter.
They each face up to 15 years in prison. The two have already been incarcerated for more than two years, having been arrested at a Detroit warehouse days after the shooting. The parents were tried separately but will be sentenced together in an Oakland County courtroom.
Live updates: Parents convicted in Michigan mass shooting
In a separate sentencing memo, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence each parent to 10 to 15 years in state prison, saying the parents had shown an “appalling lack of remorse.” In particular, prosecutors noted that James Crumbley had made threats against Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald on several occasions in jail. “There will be retribution, believe me,” he said in the memo, according to the memo.
However, the parents' lawyers are asking that their clients each be sentenced to no more than five years in prison. In a sentencing memorandum dated April 5, Jennifer Crumbley's attorney told the judge that she gave credit to her client for the 27 months she served in prison, and that she was given “bondage” at the attorney's home. '' and asked for permission to be placed under house arrest. , where she can be supervised.
That would allow “Mrs. Crumbley to work remotely and rebuild her life,” but she would not be able to go out into the community, the memo said. The memo said Jennifer Crumbley was “extremely distraught and remorseful” about the shooting, and that a sentence of 29 to 57 months was “more proportionate” than what prosecutors were seeking. It says that it will be.
In a separate memo on April 5, James Crumbley's defense attorney said his client “expresses significant remorse and sadness” for those affected by the killings and said the trial He asked the authorities to sentence him to 28 months in prison (with time credits) and up to two years in prison. He faces a maximum sentence of 43 months in prison with supervision or credit for time served.
The defense also denied that James Crumbley threatened to physically harm the prosecuting attorney, saying he was “at worst frustrated and abusive.”
Prior to sentencing, the victim and his family will be given an opportunity to speak about the impact of the shooting.
The verdict marks the end of a dramatic, boundary-pushing saga over who is responsible for mass shootings. Prosecutors used a novel legal theory to charge the parents with manslaughter, even though they did not pull the trigger. This is the first time that the parents of a school shooter have been charged with such serious crimes.
On November 30, 2021, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley brought a Sig Sauer 9mm gun from his home and opened fire at Oxford High School, killing four students and injuring six others and a teacher.
His parents were arrested a few days later and charged with manslaughter for their role in the murder.
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Clockwise from top left, Hannah St. Juliana, Justine Schilling, Madisyn Baldwin and Tate Mire were killed in the shooting.
At trial, prosecutors used testimony from shooting survivors, police investigators and school officials to argue that the parents' actions in allowing their teenage son to obtain a gun and ignoring signs that his mental health was deteriorating were “serious.” It was proved that there was “a serious mistake”.
Among other things, testimony revealed that James purchased a gun for his son on Black Friday, four days before the shooting. The next day, Jennifer took her son to the range for target practice. “Day to try out her mother and son's new Christmas present,” she wrote on social media afterward. Prosecutors argued that James Crumbley hid the firearm in his bedroom but did not use any locking devices, so his parents were unable to properly secure it.
Additionally, the trial focused on a pivotal meeting between school officials, Ethan, and his parents on the morning of the shooting. Ethan was called to the school's office after making disturbing writing on his math worksheet, including phrases such as “There's blood everywhere'' and “My life is worthless,'' as well as drawings of guns and bullets.
School officials urged his parents to remove him from class immediately and seek mental health treatment, but his parents refused, citing work commitments. The Crumbleys also did not mention their recent gun purchases to the school. Ethan was then sent back to class. About two hours later, the man pulled a gun from his backpack and fired at the school.
Jennifer Crumbley took the stand at trial, blaming her husband, the school and her son for the shooting, but expressing no remorse of her own. “I asked myself what I would have done differently, and I wouldn't have done it,” she testified.
By contrast, James Crumbley did not testify at trial, arguing that his lawyers simply did not know about his son's plans or mental health problems.
Still, Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter in early February, and James Crumbley was convicted of the same charges in March.
In a pre-sentence investigation report included in the prosecutor's sentencing memo, the parents continued to defend their actions.
“I was wrongly accused and now wrongly convicted of manslaughter. My actions were like any other parent,” James Crumbley wrote. He also defended his commitment to gun safety, saying he had “no idea what[his son]was going to do and there were no warning signs.” “I followed the law and enforced gun safety where necessary.”
Jennifer Crumbley tried to clarify her testimony in her report, saying she would not have done anything differently. “With the information I have now, of course my answer would be very different. There are many things I would change if I could go back in time,” she said. “I never imagined he would hurt others the way he did.”
The parents' lawyers argued that the charges had no legal validity, but the appeals court upheld them.
Ethan pleaded guilty last year to terroristic manslaughter, four counts of murder and 19 other related charges and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He did not testify at his parents' trial because his lawyers said they were exercising his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
CNN's Celina Tebor contributed to this report.