School Shooter's Parents Receive Maximum Sentences

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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.¹
• 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.²
• 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.³
• 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.⁴
• 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.⁵
• 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.⁴

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²The Detroit News, ³Associated Press, ⁴USA Today and ⁵FOX News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Independent. 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.
• Narrative B, as provided by Daily Caller. 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.

Predictions