(Photo : Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
James Crumbley, his attorney Mariell Lehman, Jennifer Crumbley, and her attorney Shannon Smith, sit in court for sentencing on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four Oxford High School students who were shot and killed by the Crumbley parents' son, on April 9, 2024 at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Michigan.
The parents of a Michigan school shooter were sentenced to 10-15 years in prison Tuesday for their role in a deadly school shooting carried out by their son.
The judge handed down the sentences after dramatic impact statements by parents of the victims.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first parents convicted in connection with a mass school shooting in the United States.
They were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate cases. They were accused of neglecting to secure a gun at home and failing to address the clear signs of their child's mental distress.
Ethan Crumbley killed four students at Oxford High School in 2021.
Nicole Beausoleil, victim Madisyn Baldwin's mother, gave the first impact statement at the sentencing hearing.
"Madisyn was a kind soul," she said as she tried to keep herself from crying. "As her mom, I didn't protect her."
Beausoleil laid out the different things that were happening between the two families.
"While your son was hearing voices and asking for help, I was helping Madisyn pick out her senior classes," she told the Crumbleys. "While you were purchasing a gun and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays."
Prosectors say the parents could have prevented the shooting by removing the 15-year-old from school when confronted with his disturbing drawing on his math assignment shortly before the shooting.
During the trial, prosecutors also emphasized the fact that the teenager had access to a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun that was bought by James Crumbley just four days prior.
Prosecutors sought 10-15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. They claimed the parents have shown no remorse.
Both parents addressed the court before hearing their fates.
James Crumbley said, "I can't imagine the pain and agony for the families that have lost their children and what they are experiencing."
"I have taken countless nights to lament over the anguish and shame over what my son did, the harm he caused to innocent lives, the families and the entire Oxford community," Jennifer Crumbley told the court.
Lawyers for the parents said the more than two years they have already spent behind bars is long enough.
The judge was not swayed and handed down the maximum sentences allowed under the guidelines.
Ethan Crumbley, now 17, pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.
