Crime

School Shooter's Parents Receive Maximum Sentences

APR 10 2024·Updated APR 11 2024

Story

Image credit: Bill Pugliano/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were tried and convicted separately of involuntary manslaughter for not stopping their teenage son from carrying out a school shooting, were each sentenced Tuesday to 10-15 years in prison.
nytimes
The sentences handed down by an Oakland County Circuit judge matched the maximum permissible under the law and what prosecutors had requested. This case marked the first time parents of a mass school shooter were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The Detroit News
In Nov. 2021, the Crumbley's son, Ethan, killed four people and wounded seven others with a handgun at Oxford High School. Now 17, he is serving a life sentence on several charges, including murder.
ap
Crumbley's parents were found guilty in their unprecedented cases because they were deemed negligent in preventing their son from obtaining a weapon, which prosecutors said could've been accomplished with ordinary care.
USA Today
Prosecutors also said the parents didn't take steps to address mental health issues that had been brought to their attention, including during a meeting at the school just hours before the shooting.
FOX News
Prior to the judge's sentencing, the court heard statements from family members of the victims. Jennifer and James Crumbley also read statements expressing contrition.
USA Today

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

These cases mark a change in the application of firearms law for the better. By making this into a gun safety issue — which even the most ardent supporter of the Second Amendment should be able to get behind — prosecutors can hold gun owners responsible for failing to keep their firearms safe, secure, and away from those who may use them for wrongdoings.

Independent

Narrative B

These parents never should've been charged — never mind convicted and sentenced. The Crumbleys didn't break any law that exists on the books, as they didn't do, plan, or participate in their son's crime. This is opening a Pandora's Box for future criminal prosecution of people who haven't broken the law but may be loosely connected to someone who does.