James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Oxford High School shooter, sentenced
(CBS DETROIT) - James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford High School shooter, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison on Tuesday after a jury found them guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the November 2021 shooting that claimed the lives of four students and injured several others.
They will both receive credit for 858 days.
Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews handed down the sentencing. Prosecutors were seeking 10 to 15 years in prison for the parents.
Tuesday's sentencing hearing began with a nearly hour-long discussion of the presentence investigation report that was completed on Tuesday, April 2.
Victim impact statements in Crumbley sentencing hearing
Nicole Beausoleil, Madisyn Baldwin's mother, was the first to deliver a victim impact statement Tuesday morning.
"You said you wouldn't do anything different, well that really says what type of parent you are, because there's a lot of things I would do differently," said Beausoleil. "But the one thing I would have wanted to be different was to take that bullet that day so she could continue to live the life she deserved."
Jill Soave and Craig Shilling, Justin Shilling's parents, and Reina St. Juliana, Hana St. Juliana's sister, also spoke.
Reina St. Juliana said that she saw her sister earlier that day, but they parted ways with a smile, and she never got to say goodbye to her.
Hana's father, Steve St. Juliana, also spoke. When referring to James and Jennifer, he said, "They chose to stay quiet, they chose to ignore the warning signs, and now, as we've heard through all the objections, they continue to choose to blame everyone but themselves."
Buck Myre, Tate Myre's father, spoke and said it's time to put the focus on the Oxford School District and how the response to the shooting was horrible.
After the impact statements, Jennifer and James Crumbley also spoke.
On Feb. 6, Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting where her son killed four students, Justin Shilling, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana, and injured seven other people on Nov. 30, 2021.
Jennifer Crumbley was the first parent in the U.S. to go on trial in a mass school shooting carried out by their child.
The mother and her defense attorney, Shannon Smith, have asked that she be sentenced to house arrest and that Jennifer Crumbley live in Smith's guest house, which is less than 10 miles from Oxford High School.
READ: Jennifer Crumbley wants to live in attorney's guest house during her sentence, prosecutors say
On March 14, James Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter after a nearly week-long trial.
READ: James Crumbley wasn't threatening prosecutor Karen McDonald, he was just venting, attorney says
James Crumbley and his defense attorney, Mariell Lehman, had asked that he be sentenced to time served.
"If it were not for the actions of James and Jennifer Crumbley, the shooter would have never had access to the gun he used to take four innocent lives inside Oxford High School. We owed it to the victims and their families to pursue the maximum penalty," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. "Nothing will bring their children back, but the Judge recognized the suffering these defendants caused, and she acknowledged the victims and their families. The sentence today provides the highest level of accountability under the law, and that's appropriate.
"These prosecutions will not stop gun violence. We owe it to Justin, Hana, Madisyn, and Tate to address the underlying causes of gun violence and prevent future shootings. I am committed to continuing that work."
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