a A Michigan jury on Thursday ruled in the trial of James Crumbley, the father of school shooter Ethan Crumbley, whose case stemmed from his teenage son’s decision to open fire on Oxford High School in November 2021. He was found guilty on four counts of manslaughter.
James Crumbley, 47, and Jennifer Crumbley, 45, were arrested after their 15-year-old son killed student Tate Mire, 16, on November 30, 2021. He was charged with four counts of manslaughter. Justin Schilling, 16 years old. Hannah St. Juliana, 14 years old. and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and seven other victims were injured.
“This is a historic case,” criminal defense attorney Keith Johnson told Fox News Digital. “This is because prosecutors are looking to hold parents accountable for their child’s actions, acts of violence that led to the death of another child. It’s a test case.”
Johnson said the James Crumbley and Jennifer Crumbley trials will help prosecutors across the country adopt similar strategies when weapons are brought into the home and used in these types of mass shootings. There is no doubt that parents and guardians will be held accountable.” The Crumbley family became the first parents in U.S. history to go to trial for a school shooting.
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James Crumbley was charged with manslaughter for failing to secure a gun in the home and disregarding his son’s mental health. In 2021, Ethan Crumbley murdered four students at Oxford High School. (Mandy Wright/Detroit Free Press, via AP, Pool)
Defendant James Crumbley on Wednesday refused to testify during the trial, just as his wife did during a separate trial in February. Jennifer was found guilty on all four charges and is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
Several witnesses who testified at Jennifer’s trial also testified at James’ trial.
Jennifer Crumbley Trial: Michigan Jury Convicts Mother of Mass Shooter of Manslaughter
On Wednesday, jurors heard from James Crumbley’s sister, who testified on her brother’s behalf. Karen Crumbley, a mother of four who lives in Florida, said during a visit to Michigan in the summer of 2021 that she didn’t feel anything was “wrong” in the Crumbley household. she said.
Karen Crumbley, a mother of four who lives in Florida, said nothing felt “wrong” with the Crumbley family when she visited Michigan in the summer of 2021. (Mandy Wright/Detroit Free Press, via AP, Pool)
“If I had known anything, I would have told you.” [Ethan]would [taken] If you see any signs of a problem, come home with me,” Karen said, later adding that there was “nothing to worry about” regarding her brother or Ethan.
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Jurors also heard from detectives with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. Adam Stoeck searches the Crumbley home and talks to James about firearms after the Oxford High School shooting. Stoeck also testified at Jennifer’s trial.
James Crumbley is the father of Ethan Crumbley, who killed four students and injured another at Oxford High School. Crumbley is charged with manslaughter. He is accused of failing to safely store the handgun used by his son in the 2021 attack and that he ignored the boy’s signs of mental despair. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, Pool)
Stoeck said she and James walked to the Crumbley home after the shooting. James showed him his .22 caliber derringer and his .22 caliber Keltec. Both had locks set to default code 0-0-0.
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Oxford police said Ethan used a 9mm Sig Sauer to shoot up Oxford High School. James bought the gun, which contained several rounds of ammunition when authorities recovered it, for his then-15-year-old son days before the massacre.
A frame capture from video shows James Crumbley and Jennifer Crumbley during the trial of Michigan school shooter father James Crumbley on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Pontiac, Michigan. An empty gun case and ammunition box can be seen on the bed. Prosecutors are focusing on the morning of the tragedy at Oxford High School in 2021, when four students were killed later that day. Crumbley was charged with manslaughter for failing to prevent the killing. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, Pool)
It remains unclear how exactly Ethan obtained the gun and brought it to school in his backpack on Nov. 30, 2021, but Stoeck said the Sig Sauer was locked before James shot him. He testified that he did not mention anything about it.
“I think the question is, what should parents do to secure firearms or weapons or to let authorities know that their child has certain thoughts or thoughts of violence? ” Johnson spoke about how the Crumbley case sets a precedent for other parents. So I think it has to be case by case.
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Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism last year. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Ethan Crumbley murdered four other students at a Michigan school. (Clarence Tubb Jr./Detroit News, via AP, Pool, File)
Prosecutors say the shooting occurred as the Crumbley family arrived at Oxford High School on the morning of Nov. 30, 2021, to meet with a school counselor after Ethan was found scrawling a disturbing note in class. He suggested that he may have been stopped before.
Michigan shooter Ethan Crumbley tells court: “I’m a really bad person” and sentenced to life in prison
His note included a picture of a gun and the words “Help me,” “I’m bleeding,” and “My life is worthless.”
James and Jennifer Crumbley met with their son and school leaders on the morning of the shooting after Ethan Crumbley’s teacher noticed him drawing disturbing pictures in class. did. (Oakland County)
Prosecutors say James and Jennifer left their son at school to go about their daily lives instead of taking him home.
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“This lawsuit does not seek to hold Mr. James Crumbley responsible for the actions of his son,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in court Wednesday. “It’s about his legal obligations and non-compliance with them.”
She later added that James “did nothing” when he was “given the simplest and most obvious opportunity to prevent the deaths of four students.”
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Prosecutors pointed to diary entries, text messages and videos showing Ethan’s parents ignoring him as he called for help. Prosecutors said at Jennifer’s trial that the day before the school massacre, Ethan made a 19-minute video explaining what he would do the next day.
After the shooting, the Crumbleys allegedly fled Oxford after initial questioning by police and headed to Detroit with $6,000 in cash. U.S. Marshals ultimately arrested them several days later on December 4, 2021.
