Parents of the Oxford High School shooter, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are set to be sentenced on Tuesday morning, facing 10 to 15 years in prison for their involvement in the shooting in which their son Ethan killed four students. The parents were both found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the incident. This marks the first time in U.S. history that parents of a school shooter have been tried for their child’s crimes. Ethan, now 18, pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge and will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During their trials, both James and Jennifer declined to testify, with Jennifer expressing in court that she would not have done anything differently, even after the shooting occurred. However, in a pre-sentencing statement, Jennifer backtracked on her earlier testimony, acknowledging that she would have done things differently with the benefit of hindsight. Prosecutors have suggested that the parents could have prevented the shooting when they arrived at the school on the morning of the incident after Ethan had displayed disturbing behavior, but chose to leave him at school and return to work.
Ethan used a firearm purchased by his father, James, to carry out the shooting, which resulted in the deaths of four students and the injury of seven others. The weapon had been posted about on social media by Jennifer just days before the incident, where she referred to it as a Christmas gift for her teenage son. Prosecutors have also pointed to evidence in Ethan’s journal entries, text messages, and videos that indicated he was seeking help, but felt ignored by his parents. The day before the shooting, Ethan reportedly made a video describing his plans for the next day.
Following the shooting, the Crumbleys allegedly fled Oxford and went to Detroit with $6,000 in cash, but were eventually apprehended by U.S. Marshals on December 4, 2021. The incident has led to civil lawsuits against the Crumbley parents and school administrators, claiming they failed to prevent the shooting despite warning signs. This tragedy has raised questions about parental culpability in such incidents, with prosecutors arguing that the parents missed opportunities to intervene and stop the massacre from occurring. The upcoming sentencing of James and Jennifer Crumbley will mark the conclusion of the legal proceedings surrounding the Oxford High School shooting.
