James Crumbley, the father of the teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school in 2021, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Thursday, a month after the shooter's mother was convicted of the same charges.
James Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison, to run concurrently.
The jury deliberations that concluded Thursday came more than two years after his son, Ethan Crumbley, then 15, used a 9mm SIG Sauer to kill four students and wound six others and a teacher in Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.
James Crumbley will be sentenced on April 9 at 9 a.m., the judge said in court. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, will be sentenced on the same date and time.
Final arguments: Prosecutors in their closing arguments Wednesday said James Crumbley was “grossly negligent” because he purchased the SIG Sauer 9mm pistol for his son days before the attack, failed to properly secure it, ignored his son's deteriorating mental health and did not take “reasonable care.” to prevent a foreseeable danger.
“James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “James Crumbley is being judged for what he did and what he didn't do.”
In response, defense attorney Mariell Lehman stated that the prosecution's case lacked evidence and was based on “assumptions and hindsight.”
“He didn't hear any testimony and he didn't see any evidence that James had any knowledge that his son was a danger to anyone,” he said.
Testing the limits: The cases against the parents represented a test of the limits of who is responsible for a mass shooting. Prosecutors seeking to broaden the scope of blame in mass shootings have used a novel legal strategy by arguing that parents are personally responsible for the deaths because they got their son a gun and ignored signs of his deteriorating mental health. .
Parents have previously faced liability for their children's actions, such as neglect or gun charges, but Jennifer Crumbley's guilty verdict was the first time the parent of a school shooter was held directly responsible for the murders. .
Parents appreciate the verdict:
- Buck Myre, father of Tate Myre: “The weapon is just a tool. So, we have to look at other things besides the gun. We need to see what we can do to better support these children,” Myre said at a news conference. “We need to figure this out because no parent should have to go through the hell we're going through.”
- Steve Santa Juliana, father of Hana Santa Juliana, said mass shootings are “the leading cause of death for our children” and called for more action to be taken. “There's so much more to do; it's crazy.”
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