James Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection to Oxford High shooting
James Crumbley was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Thursday.
Testimony and closing arguments wrapped up Wednesday afternoon, and jurors deliberated about 12 hours, announcing its verdict at about 7:20 p.m. Thursday.
Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer, whose teenage son murdered four students and injured seven other people at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, are the first parents in America to be held criminally accountability for a child's school shooting. Their son carried out his rampage using a gun his father had bought him as an early Christmas present four days earlier, though the defense maintained the gun was not really a gift, and was meant only to be used at the shooting range with his father.
As the jury foreman read the verdicts, sighs of relief could be heard by the victims' families. Madisyn's mom dropped her head and cried.
James Crumbley shook his head from side to side as each guilty verdict was read.
As the courtroom cleared, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald hugged the parents of each victim as they left the courtroom.
Prosecutors argued that the father was grossly negligent in ignoring his son's mental health struggles, buying him a gun instead of getting him therapy, failing to safely secure the weapon, and failing to tell school officials about the gun when he and his wife were summoned over a violent drawing their son had made on the morning before the shooting. It included a gun, and the words: "The thoughts won't stop, help me."
The defense argued the case was one of "hindsight" and second-guessing, maintaining the father never saw any signs that his son was mentally ill or would ever harm anyone, nor did he know of the teen's plans to shoot up the school, or have any reasons to suspect he would commit such an act. It also maintains the gun at issue was secured: it was hidden in a gun case in a bedroom armoire, unloaded, and the bullets were in a separate drawer, according to the father.
The victims' families have long argued that the Crumbleys aren't the only ones who made mistakes, that school officials also were negligent and must be held accountable for their children's tragic deaths.
“While we are grateful that James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty, we want to be very clear that this is just the beginning of our quest for justice and true accountability,” the families of the four slain students said in a joint statement after the verdict came down. “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 15 years in prison when she's sentenced April 9. Ethan Crumbley, their son, pleaded guilty to all his crimes and is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: James Crumbley guilty in connection to Oxford school shooting
