James Crumbley, the father of convicted Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, has been found guilty of four counts of manslaughter — a decision that comes just weeks after his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted on similar counts. James faces up to 15 years in prison.
James and Jennifer’s son killed four students at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan in November 2021 and wounded seven others. The deceased victims of the shooting are Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Justin Shilling, 17, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17.
The jury was unanimous in finding James responsible for the killer’s actions, with prosecutors arguing that he and his wife did nothing to prevent the shooting, according to CNN.
In a statement to PEOPLE, an attorney for the victims’ families said, “Today, a 12-member jury unanimously found James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter, guilty of his gross negligence, which ultimately played a causative role in the deaths of four OHS students -a. This guilty verdict, along with those handed down to the killer’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, will not bring back the lives of these four students, but it is another step toward bringing those responsible to justice, the law, and justice for the families of the victims. and the Oxford community.”
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Attorney Ven Johnson continued, “We look forward to the decisions of the Michigan Court of Appeals and the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in our civil cases. We are steadfast in our determination to hold Oxford Community Schools and various OCS employees accountable, as they could are to prevent a shooting, as outlined in Guidepost Solutions’ investigative report for their district. Until all those responsible for this tragedy are held fully and legally accountable for their roles, our clients and our company remain steadfast in our fight for justice.”
James’ attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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During the trial, prosecutors said the gun the gunman used in the shooting was bought by his parents as an early Christmas present days before. According to CNN, prosecutors alleged that James failed to properly secure the gun, a 9mm pistol, and ignored his son’s mental health issues.
James Crumbley.
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Further, prosecutors noted that the Crumbleys were at the school the morning of the shooting for a meeting regarding a drawing of a gun the shooter had made on a math worksheet. The meeting ended abruptly, and James did not tell school officials that their son had a gun, according to the report Detroit Free Press.
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Jennifer’s trial was held earlier this year and she was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter, one for each victim. Jennifer will be sentenced on April 9.
Speaking further to PEOPLE, attorney Johnson said the victims’ families are “confident the judge will do the right thing” in sentencing both James and Jennifer, and while they hope for the maximum sentences, they will “live with” whatever the judge decides.
“If there’s one thing I think we can all agree on, it’s that this has to stop, but it’s only going to stop if we make it stop,” Johnson said when asked how the outcome of the Crumbleys would shape future similar cases. He continued, “We’re going to look at what really went wrong here and can it be avoided?”
Last year, Ethan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to 24 counts, according to The New York Times.
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Source: HIS Education