Criminalizing Crumbleys is treading on thin ice | Letters to the Editor

Detroit Free Press
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On March 14, 2024, James Crumbley, father of the Oxford High School shooter, was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17, killed by his son. James Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer, are the first parents in America to be criminally charged after a school shooting. Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty last month. Both await sentencing. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole. He is appealing the sentence. Submit a letter to the editor about the verdict or any other news of the day at freep.com/letters.

Bad parents, not criminals

From what I saw in the coverage, the Crumbleys were terrible parents, but that doesn’t make them criminals in my mind. With both parents (and politicians), we are treading on thin ice when we try to criminalize their poor performance. I might agree to hold them liable in a civil suit, but not guilty in a criminal trial.

Biber Walter

Richland, Michigan

James Crumbley sits with his attorney Mariell Lehman in the Oakland County Courtroom of Cheryl Matthews on Thursday, March, 14, 2024 before he was convicted on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Crumbley was tried on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the four students killed in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting perpetrated by his son Ethan Crumbley.

Oxford school district should be held accountable

The Crumbley verdicts are in, agree or not. That the school escapes any responsibility is wrong, and will be a set up for future tragedies since they carry no consequence for what they knew, and actions failed to take.

Michael Connelly

Lakewood Ranch, Florida

Why the Crumbleys, and not other parents?

First, I am not disagreeing with charging the parents or the verdict, but one has to wonder why this set of parents is held accountable when so many others are not.

Juveniles commit murders and other crimes every day in our nation. You only have to read the news to know this is a fact. All of those juveniles need help in way or another. Most of them have one or both parents not living up to exceptions for the care and supervision of the juvenile. Do we fill the jails with neglectful parents? Some surely have done worse than these two.

I know each case is unique and not every parent should be charged with a crime but there are many that should, if this case is the example to follow.

Food for thought.

Larry Wolfinger

Lansing

We can't let this happen again

Hana St. Juliana. Justin Schilling. Tate Myre. Madisyn Baldwin.

Like so many students before them, they were taken too soon by someone who should have never had access to a gun. The arguments are always the same: Stronger gun control laws. Better funding of the mental health system. Holding others (in addition to holding the child responsible) accountable.

I do not profess to know the answers. What I do know is that we as a society need to stop wringing our hands after every school shooting, and instead look deep within ourselves to work together to stop it from happening again. Until we are willing to do that, there will be another shooting, in another school, in another city, and we will once again find ourselves where we are now — grieving the loss of our children and trying to figure out how to help those who survive understand what happened.

Abby Barr

Lansing

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Verdict against Oxford shooter dad James Crumbley concerning | Letters