Parents of Mich. High School Shooter Sentenced to Prison After Involuntary Manslaughter Convictions

James and Jennifer Crumbley apologized to the parents of the Oxford High School shooting victims before being sentenced to prison

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of convicted Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. They were both convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deadly 2021 shooting at Oxford High School.

Juries decided that both parents, who were tried separately, were accountable for their son's actions by failing to take steps to prevent the shooting. Judge Cheryl Matthews handed down the sentences in Oakland County court Tuesday, April 9, according to reports from the Associated Press, the Detroit Free-Press and CNN.

On Nov. 30, 2021, James and Jennifer's son shot and killed Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Justin Shilling, 17, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, all students at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., and injured seven others.

Families of the victims read victim impact statements at Tuesday's hearing, which was live streamed by the AP.

Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, addressed James and Jennifer directly.

"While you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays," Beausoleil said.

Reina St. Juliana, whose sister Hana was killed, also spoke in court.

"I never got to say goodbye," she said. "I never got to remind her that I love her."

James and Jennifer were charged with involuntary manslaughter days after the shooting. Prosecutors have argued that both parents had failed to prevent their son's actions, pointing to a meeting held between the parents and school officials the morning of the shooting.

Related: James Crumbley, Father of Michigan School Shooter, Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter Weeks After His Wife's Trial

The meeting, which was called after the shooter drew a picture of a gun, ended abruptly, and he remained in school that day.

Jennifer was convicted on all counts in February. James was convicted the following month.

At his sentencing, James apologized to the families of the victims killed by his son.

"As a parent, our biggest fear is losing our child or our children, and to lose a child is unimaginable," James said. "My heart is really broken for everybody involved."

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After James' conviction, Ven Johnson, an attorney for the victim's families, released a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

"This guilty verdict, along with those found against the shooter's mother, Jennifer Crumbley, won't bring back the lives of these four students, but it represents one more step towards holding everyone responsible accountable under the law, which is justice for the victims' families and the Oxford community," the statement read in part.

The shooter was sentenced to life in prison in 2023 after pleading guilty to 24 charges, including terrorism.

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