James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, has expressed his feelings of being a “martyr” and compared his time in jail to serving in the military in calls obtained by Fox News Digital. A judge in Oakland County, Michigan, sentenced James to between 10 and 15 years in prison along with his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, for involuntary manslaughter related to the school shooting carried out by their then-15-year-old son on Nov. 30, 2021. James feels that he and his wife are martyrs fighting to prevent similar tragedies in the future and specifically targets Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
During some of the jail calls that were read in court, James was heard making threats towards Prosecutor McDonald, who initially brought charges against the Crumbley parents. James used profanity and insults against McDonald, claiming that she would lose her law license and be forced to work at McDonald’s. Despite these threats, James’ defense attorney argued that he did not physically threaten the prosecutor but was merely venting his frustrations. James did not testify during his trial, but he did address the court during his sentencing, expressing sorrow for the families affected by the shooting.
Ethan Crumbley used a gun purchased by James to carry out the school shooting, which resulted in four students being killed and seven others injured. Prosecutors revealed that the gun was not properly secured in the Crumbleys’ home, and Ethan had displayed troubling behavior at school prior to the shooting. The parents had been called to meet with school counselors after Ethan was caught writing disturbing notes in class, but they left him at school and did not intervene before the shooting occurred.
Following the shooting, the Crumbleys allegedly fled Oxford and traveled to Detroit with cash, leading to their eventual arrest by U.S. Marshals. Ethan, who pleaded guilty to the shooting, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The parents faced charges as well and were the first in U.S. history to be convicted for their child’s crimes. The tragic incident has led to civil lawsuits against the elder Crumbleys and school administrators, claiming that they failed to prevent the shooting from happening. Ethan had made a video describing his intentions the day before the massacre, which was later used as evidence in the trials of his parents.
