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On Tuesday, Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley — who killed four students when he opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021 — were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. The New York Times reports that the Crumbleys are the first parents to be convicted in connection to their child’s shooting in the U.S., setting a new precedent for prosecuting school shootings.
Ethan pleaded guilty to 24 charges including first-degree murder, and in December he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jennifer and James Crumbley faced charges stemming from the fact that they bought a gun for Ethan mere days before he took it to school. The prosecutors claimed they were aware of Ethan’s deteriorating mental state and yet did not inform the school about the weapon. The case gained national headlines because rarely, if ever, do prosecutors attempt to hold the parents of school shooters accountable for their children’s actions. Both parents pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of the students killed.
A jury found James guilty on all four counts in March, weeks after a separate jury convicted his wife on the same charges. Prosecutors, along with the parents of the four victims, asked the judge to sentence the Crumbleys to 10 to 15 years each in prison.
USA Today reports that before handing down the sentence, Judge Cheryl Matthews said to James Crumbley: “Mr. Crumbley, it’s clear to this court that because of you there was unfettered access to a gun or guns as well as ammunition in your home.” The judge then told Jennifer Crumbley that she “glorified the use and possession of these weapons.” According ABC, Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, one of the victims, addressed the court before sentencing, saying, “You failed as parents.” She added: “The punishment that you face will never be enough. It will never bring her back.”
This post has been updated.
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By Olivia Craighead and Tariro Mzezewa , 2024-04-09 19:30:00
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