(USNewsMag.com) – James Crumbley, 47, father of school shooter Ethan Crumbley, was convicted on March 14th of involuntary manslaughter by a Michigan jury.
During the trial, prosecutors stated that James Crumbley did nothing to stop his son, Ethan Crumbley, from having access to the family’s firearms. A gun store employee testified during the trial that four days before the school shooting, James Crumbley purchased his then-15-year-old son a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun as an early present for Christmas.
According to prosecutors, a year before the shooting, the father took his son to the range, and just three days before the shooting, his mother took him to the range.
According to Mariell Lehman, James Crumbley’s attorney, he was unaware his son had access to the handgun and did not know “what his son was capable of.”
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said while the verdict does not bring the victims back, it marks “a moment of accountability.”
Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism and first-degree murder for the November 30th, 2021, shooting at Oxford High School that killed four students and injured six students and a teacher. He was sentenced in December 2023 to life in prison.
The verdict marks the second time a parent has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter related to a school shooting carried out by their child. James Crumbley’s wife, Jennifer Crumbley, who is Ethan’s mother, was the first after she was convicted on February 6th of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly allowing her son to have access to firearms and ignoring his mental health concerns. On the day of the shooting, his parents pushed back on school officials’ request to remove their son from school after a teacher found a drawing of a handgun with the words “My life is useless” and “Blood everywhere.”
Both parents, who face up to 15 years in jail, will be sentenced on April 9th. They have already served more than two years in jail as they awaited trial because they were unable to post the $500,00 bond required for their cases.
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