This is the first time in history that the parents of a mass shooter have been held criminally responsible for their child’s crimes.
The parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbly were sentenced to 10 to 15 years Tuesday after they were found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials.
“Each of the defendants’ gross negligence caused unimaginable suffering to hundreds of others,” the judge said.
Before hearing her fate, Jennifer Crumbly said she forgave the prosecutors and insisted she did nothing wrong.
“We were good parents. We were the average family. We weren’t perfect but we loved our son and each other tremendously,” Jennifer said.
James Crumbly tearfully addressed the families of the victims.
“I have cried for you and those loss of your children more times than I can count,” James said.
The sentencing is being seen as a precedent-setting case that could trigger similar prosecutions of parents across the United States.
The family members of the four slain students gave victim impact statements in court.
“This tragedy has taken an incredible toll on our family,” Buck Myre, father of Tate Myre, said.
“Hana’s murder has destroyed a large portion of my very soul,” Steve St. Juliana, father of Hana St. Juliana, said.
“While you were running away from your son and your responsibilities, I was forced to do the worst possible thing a parent could do. I was forced to say goodbye to my Madisyn,” Madisyn Baldwin’s mother, Nicole Beausoleil, said.
“You have failed your son and you have failed us all,” Justin Shilling’s mother, Jill Soave, said.
Jennifer and James Crumbly sat one seat apart in court for the first time they appeared together in two years. They were tried separately.
Their son, Ethan Crumbly, murdered four students and wounded seven others at Oxford High School near Detroit in 2021. They bought him the gun he used in the shooting.
This is the first time in history that the parents of a mass shooter have been held criminally responsible for their child’s crimes.
Ethan Crumbly will spend the rest of his life in prison. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. His parents say they will appeal their convictions.
