OAN’s Brooke Mallory
6:18pm – Thursday, March 14, 2024
James Crumbley, the father of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, was found guilty of manslaughter Thursday.
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After completing testimony and closing arguments on Wednesday afternoon, the jury deliberated for about 12 hours before announcing its verdict at around 7:20pm local time on Thursday.
Crumbley parents face criminal charges in connection with their teenage son’s November 30 school shooting at Oxford High Schoolth2021. On that day, Ethan Crumbley killed four students and injured seven others.
Four days before his rampage, Ethan received a gun from his father as an “early Christmas present.” But the defense argued that the gun was not actually a gift and was only intended to be used at the range with his father.
The victims’ families breathed a sigh of relief as the jury foreman read the verdict. Each time the guilty verdict was read, James Crumbley shook his head angrily and began to cry. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald also hugged each of the victim’s parents as she left the courthouse.
Ethan’s father, James, is accused of ignoring his son’s mental health issues, buying a gun without sending him to counseling, failing to secure the weapon, and failing to notify school officials. , accused of gross negligence on various counts. He and his wife talked about the gun when they were called from school regarding a disturbing drawing his son had drawn the morning before the shooting. Written next to the firearm were the words, “My feelings won’t stop, please help me.”
The defense argued that the father observed no signs that his son was mentally ill or a threat to others and had no knowledge that the boy planned to shoot up the school.
Additionally, relatives of the victims have long argued that school administrators should also be held responsible for the children’s tragic deaths, and that the Crumbley family is not solely responsible.
“While we are grateful that James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty, we want to make it clear that this is just the beginning of our quest for justice and true accountability. “We want to keep it that way,” the families of the four murdered students said in a joint statement after the incident. The verdict was read out. “There is much work to do to ensure that no other family in Michigan or across the country experiences the pain that we are feeling. We will not stop until real change occurs.”
Ethan’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, was found guilty last month on four counts of manslaughter.She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9th.th He could spend up to 15 years in prison. Meanwhile, Ethan has pleaded guilty to all charges and is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of release.
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