Current:Home > FinanceJames and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Michigan shooter, to be sentenced today -Summit Capital Strategies
James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Michigan shooter, to be sentenced today
View
Date:2025-04-15 16:09:46
Jennifer and James Crumbley, the first parents of a mass school shooter in the U.S. to be convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting, are set to be sentenced on Tuesday.
Prosecutors asked that each parent be given 10 to 15 years in prison after separate juries found them each guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year. Their son, Ethan, is serving a life sentence for the murders of four of his classmates at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, on Nov. 30, 2021, when he was 15 years old.
The parents have shown no remorse for their actions, prosecutors told Judge Cheryl Matthews in a sentencing memo. They told the juries that the Crumbleys bought their son the gun he used to kill Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, and ignored troubling signs about the teen's mental health.
Loved ones of the victims are expected to read victim impact statements in court on Tuesday.
Legal experts have said the case, which drew national attention, could impact how society views parents' culpability when their children access guns and cause harm with them. Whether the outcome encourages prosecutors to bring future charges against parents remains to be seen.
Why were the Crumbleys culpable in their son's crimes?
The Crumbleys' son went on a rampage in the halls of Oxford High School hours after his parents were called to the school by counselors to discuss concerns over disturbing drawings he had done on a math assignment. Prosecutors said they didn't tell school officials that their son had access to guns in the home and left him at school that day.
James Crumbley purchased the gun used in the shooting, and in a post on social media Jennifer Crumbley said it was a Christmas present for the boy. The prosecution said the parents could have prevented the shooting if they had taken ordinary care to secure the gun and taken action when it was clear their son was having severe mental health issues.
The prosecution cited messages the teen sent months before the shooting to his mom that said he saw a "demon" in their house and that clothes were flying around. He also texted a friend that he had "paranoia" and was hearing voices. In a journal, the shooter wrote: "I have zero HELP for my mental problems and it's causing me to shoot up" the school.
The Crumbleys also attempted to flee from law enforcement when it became clear they would face charges, prosecutors said.
Defense attorneys said the parents never foresaw their son's actions. Jennifer Crumbley portrayed herself as an attentive mother when she took the stand in her own defense, and James Crumbley's lawyer said the gun didn't really belong to the son, and the father properly secured the gun and didn't allow his son to use it unsupervised. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, the jury foreman in James Crumbley's trial said the storage of the gun was the key issue that drove him to convict.
Parents asked for house arrest, time served
James Crumbley has asked to be sentenced to time already served since his arrest in December 2021, according to the prosecutors' sentencing memo, while Jennifer Crumbley hoped to serve out a sentence on house arrest while living in her lawyer's guest house.
Prosecutors rejected the requests in the memo to the judge, saying neither had shown remorse for their roles in the deaths of four children. James Crumbley also allegedly made threats against Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a jail phone conversation, Keast said, showing his "chilling lack of remorse."
"Such a proposed sentence is a slap in the face to the severity of tragedy caused by (Jennifer Crumbley's) gross negligence, the victims and their families," Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast wrote of the mother's request in a sentencing memo.
Each involuntary manslaughter count carries up to 15 years in prison, though typically such sentences are handed down concurrently, not consecutively. The judge also has the discretion to go above or below the state advisory guidelines, which recommended a sentencing range of 43 to 86 months − or a maximum of about seven years. The state guideline is advisory, based on post-conviction interviews and facts of the case.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Ai Profit Algorithms 4.0 - Changing the Game Rules of the Investment Industry Completely
- New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez on testifying at his bribery trial: That's to be determined
- Gunmen burst into San Antonio home, shooting 3 kids, 2 adults; suspects remain at large
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber Renew Vows During Pregnancy Reveal
- Voting Rights Act weighs heavily in North Dakota’s attempt to revisit redistricting decision it won
- Bear Market No More: Discover the Best Time to Buy Cryptocurrencies at OPACOIN
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Pro-Palestinian protesters demand endowment transparency. But its proving not to be simple
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- No Idea How To Do Your Hair? These Under-$15 Accessories & Tool-Free Style Hacks Are the Perfect Solution
- Loungefly Just Dropped New Accessories Including Up’s 15th Anniversary Collection & More Fandom Fashion
- Scores of starving and sick pelicans are found along the California coast
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Universities rescind commencement invitations to U.N. ambassador over conflict in Gaza
- Chinese billionaire gets time served, leaves country after New York, Rhode Island straw donor scheme
- Powerball winning numbers for May 8: Jackpot now worth $36 million
Recommendation
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Video games help and harm U.S. teens — leading to both friendships and bullying, Pew survey says
California’s budget deficit has likely grown. Gov. Gavin Newsom will reveal his plan to address it
Mississippi governor signs law to set a new funding formula for public schools
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe fired after another early playoff exit
Are Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber Having Twins? Here’s the Truth
Cancer-causing chemicals ban signed into law in Colorado, 13th state to bar PFAS products