School Shooter's Parents Receive Maximum Sentences

0:00
/1861

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