3/15/24 - James Crumbley Also Found Guilty

An Oakland County jury found James Crumbley "guilty" on all counts. He will be sentenced next month.

(OAKLAND, COUNTY, Mich.) - On Thursday evening, an Oakland County jury found James Crumbley guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter. 

He and his wife were both found guilty, making them the first parents in the United States, to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting carried out by their son.  

The deadly shooting took place in 2021 at Oxford High School where 4 students lost their lives:  Tate Myre; Hana St. Juliana; Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling.  

15-year-old Ethan Crumbley used a gun that his father purchased for him as an early Christmas gift.                                                                           He is serving life in prison without parole.  

Parents of the victims say they will now shift their focus to their next challenge: holding the school accountable. The school faces lawsuits over decisions that day that allowed the gunman to stay in school after meeting with a counselor, the dean of students and his parents over a disturbing drawing on a worksheet. 

There was concern that Ethan was dealing with mental issues and needed help.  

In the end, the jury went with the prosecution's theory: that James Crumbley bought his son a gun instead of getting him help, didn't secure it properly, and did not tell school officials about that gun during their meeting.                                                                                                                The parents returned to their jobs after meeting with two school officials and their son, vowing to get him help within 48 hours. Their son returned to class. It was two hours later that the first shots were fired.