Court sentences parents of Michigan school shooter 10-15 years

Jennifer and James Crumbley, parents of the school shooter who killed four students and injured seven, are sentenced to 10 to 15 years in jail

The parents of the teen who carried out the deadly school shooting in Michigan, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in jail on Tuesday after an innovative and well-watched court battle.

With this ruling, the parents of a school shooter have been found guilty of manslaughter for the first time in American history because of their child’s acts.

Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews sentenced the defendants following a horrific event at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, which left four students dead and seven injured. Now seventeen-year-old Ethan Crumbley, their son, was given a life sentence for his involvement in the shooting spree.

Judge Matthews stressed throughout the tearful trial in Pontiac, Michigan, which was attended by the victims’ families, that the convictions were not just the result of bad parenting but rather of repeated actions or inactions that may have avoided the horrific accident.

The judge reprimanded Jennifer and James Crumbley for their carelessness in giving their son “unfettered access” to weapons and ammunition in their home. Directly addressing Jennifer Crumbley, the court expressed her disapproval of her son’s “dispassionate and apathetic” behavior.

Parents of the dead youngsters vented their pain and rage at the Crumbleys in a courtroom packed with raw emotion. One of the victims’ mothers, Nicole Beausoleil, confronted the pair face-to-face and charged them with being partially to blame for her daughter’s demise. “Not only did your son kill my daughter, but you both did as well,” Beausoleil said.

Craig Shilling, the father of Justin Shilling, and Steve St. Juliana, the father of Hana St. Juliana, expressed similar feelings, emphasizing the great loss and suffering caused by the senseless act of violence.

The Crumbleys spoke to the victim’s relatives and the court in a moving moment before sentencing, apologizing for the suffering they had caused. Jennifer Crumbley admitted the seriousness of what she had done and that she would live the rest of her life carrying the weight of her own shame. James Crumbley expressed profound remorse for being ignorant of his son’s hardships and the unfortunate result that transpired.

The Crumbleys faced accusations throughout the trial that they disregarded many indicators of their son’s mental health problems. Days before the massacre, they allegedly gave him a 9mm pistol, which he used in the attack, in defiance of these warnings.

The case has sparked a wider discussion regarding accountability and responsibility in averting youth-related firearm-related deaths in the U.S. Similar incidents around the nation show how much pressure has been on parents to be held responsible for giving their kids access to firearms.

Source: AFP