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Jennifer and James Crumbley, the first school shooting perpetrators in the United States to be convicted of manslaughter, were sentenced Tuesday in a Michigan court to 10 to 15 years in prison. .
The decision came after the court heard statements from the family of victim Tate Myre, 16. Hannah St. Juliana, 14 years old. Madisyn Baldwin (17) and Justin Schilling (17). On November 30, 2021, Crumbley’s son Ethan went on a shooting rampage at Oxford High School in Michigan, killing students.
“You made this all happen,” Baldwin’s mother, Nicole Beausoleil, said through tears. “You have failed as a parent. The punishment you received will never be enough.”
Hannah’s sister, Reina St. Juliana, moved many to tears when she spoke about how her sister would never be able to see her prom, graduation or birthday.
“I couldn’t say goodbye,” Reyna said. “Hana was only 14 years old…she took her last breath at school, which she had not attended for three months.”
“Mr. Crumbley, it is clear to this court that you had unfettered access to the guns and ammunition in your home,” Judge Cheryl Matthews said to both parents before handing down the sentence. Stated.
“Mrs. Crumbley, you glorified the use and possession of these weapons,” she added.
Jennifer and James Crumbley also addressed the court.
“Words cannot express the pain this has caused to my heart and soul, just as I know this cannot ease the pain and suffering of the victims and their families,” Jennifer Crumbley said. he said.
“I would like to express how truly sorry I am to the families of Madisyn Baldwin, Hannah St. Juliana, Tate Myre, and Justin Schilling, and how devastated I was to hear what happened to them. I want people to know what’s going on,” James Crumbley said.
Prosecutors asked for each parent to be sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison after separate juries found each parent guilty of four counts of manslaughter earlier this year. Their son, who was 15 at the time of the attack, is serving a life sentence for the murders of four of his classmates at Oxford High School.
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors told Judge Cheryl Matthews that the parents had shown no remorse for their actions. They told the jury the Crumbleys bought the gun their son used and ignored alarming signs about the boy’s mental health.
Legal experts said the case, which drew national attention, could affect how society views parents’ responsibility when their children access guns and cause harm. It remains to be seen whether this result will prompt prosecutors to prosecute the parents in the future.
Why were the Crumbleys found guilty of their son’s crimes?
The Crumbleys’ son started acting up in the hallways of Oxford High School, hours after his parents were called by a counselor to the school over concerns about a disturbing picture he had drawn for a math project. Prosecutors said he did not tell school officials that his son had access to a gun in the home and left it at school that day.
The gun used in the shooting was purchased by James Crumbley, and Jennifer Crumbley said in a social media post that it was a Christmas present for the boy. Prosecutors say the shooting could have been prevented if his parents had taken normal care in securing the gun and acted when it was clear their son had severe mental health issues. He said that there is a sex.
Prosecutors cited messages the boy sent his mother several months before the shooting in which he said he saw “devils” in the house and that his clothes were scattered all over the place. He also texted his friend that he was suffering from “paranoia” and was hearing voices. The gunman wrote in his diary that he was not given any help for his mental problems, which led him to shoot up the school.
Prosecutors said the Crumbleys also attempted to flee from law enforcement when it became clear they would be charged.
Defense attorneys said the parents never anticipated their son’s actions. Jennifer Crumbley portrayed herself as an attentive mother in her own defense, but James Crumbley’s attorney argued that the gun did not actually belong to her son and that his father did not handle it properly. He said that he did not allow his son to use it. It’s not monitored. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, the jury foreman in James Crumbley’s trial said the storage of the gun was a key issue that led to his conviction.
Parents asked for house arrest and served
James Crumbley is seeking the prison term he has already served since his arrest in December 2021, and Jennifer Crumbley will serve her sentence on house arrest while living in her lawyer’s guest house, according to a prosecutor’s sentencing memo. I was hoping for that.
Prosecutors rejected the request, saying in a memo to the judge that neither defendant had shown remorse for their roles in the deaths of the four children. Keast said James Crumbley also allegedly made threats against Oakland County Attorney Karen McDonald during a phone conversation at the jail, showing an “appalling lack of remorse.” It is said that it shows.
“This proposed sentence is a slap in the face to the severity of the tragedy caused by (Jennifer Crumbley’s) gross negligence, and to the victim and her family,” Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Keast said in response to the mother’s request. I wrote about this in my judgment memo.
Each count of manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, but these sentences are usually handed down concurrently rather than consecutively. Judges also have the discretion to go above or below the state’s recommended guidelines, which recommend a sentencing range of 43 to 86 months, or up to about seven years. The state’s guidelines are advisory, based on the post-conviction interview and the facts of the case.
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