James Crumbley was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on Thursday.
Testimony and final statements concluded Wednesday afternoon, and jurors pondered for roughly 12 hours before announcing their verdict at approximately 7:20 p.m. Thursday.
Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer, whose teenage son killed four students and injured seven others at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021, are the first parents in America to face criminal charges for their child’s school massacre.
Their son carried out his rampage using a gun his father had bought him as an early Christmas present four days earlier, while the defense claimed the gun was not a gift and was intended simply for use at the shooting range with his father.
As the jury foreman read the verdicts, the victims’ families let out sighs of relief. Madisyn’s mother dropped her head and wept.
James Crumbley jerked his head from side to side as the guilty verdicts were read.
As the courtroom cleared, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald hugged the victims’ parents as they left.
Prosecutors claimed that the father was grossly negligent in ignoring his son’s mental health issues, purchasing a gun instead of getting him therapy, failing to safely secure the weapon, and failing to notify school officials about the gun when he and his wife were summoned over a violent drawing their son had made the morning before the shooting. It included a rifle and the phrases, “The thoughts won’t stop, help me.”
The defense contended that the case was one of “hindsight” and second-guessing, claiming that the father saw no indicators that his son was mentally ill or would ever harm anyone, was unaware of the teen’s plans to shoot up the school, and had no reason to anticipate he would perform such an act.
It also claims that the gun in question was secured: it was hidden in a gun case in a bedroom armoire, unloaded, with the bullets in a separate drawer, according to the father.
The victims’ families have long contended that the Crumbleys were not the only ones to make mistakes; school administrators were also irresponsible and should be held liable for their children’s untimely deaths.
“While we are grateful that James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty, we want to be very clear that this is only the beginning of our quest for justice and true accountability,” the families of the four deceased teenagers said in a joint statement after the judgment was announced.
“There is so much more that needs to be done to ensure other families in Michigan and across the country don’t experience the pain that we feel and we will not stop until real change is made.”
Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter last month and faces up to fifteen years in jail when she is sentenced on April 9. Ethan Crumbley, their son, pleaded guilty to all of his crimes and is now serving life in jail without the chance of release.