Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews sentenced Jennifer and James Crumbley on Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter. The Crumbleys are the parents of the Oxford High School shooter who killed four fellow students in 2021 and wounded several others.
When sentencing the Crumbleys, Matthews stated that the “sentencing guidelines in this matter do not capture the catastrophic impact of the acts or inaction in these matters.” Matthews noted that the guidelines “ignore” the survivors of the shooting. Additionally, Matthews justified her sentence by noting that the sentence length is reasonable, proportionate and in the best interest of justice.
In response to the sentence, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald stated:
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. 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 law, and that’s appropriate.
Involuntary murder is generally defined as causing the death of another human being through gross negligence. This is usually a higher standard of negligence than ordinary negligence in civil proceedings. Michigan courts define gross negligence as “more than carelessness. It means willfully disregarding the results to others that might follow from an act or failure to act.” 15 years imprisonment is the maximum penalty for manslaughter in Michigan.
In February, a Michigan jury unanimously found Jennifer Crumbley guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter. In March, a Michigan jury also found James Crumbley guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter. This is the first time in the US that parents have been held criminally accountable for a school shooting.
Judge Kwamé Rowe sentenced the shooter, Ethan Crumbley, in December 2023 to life without the possibility of parole. He was convicted of all 24 counts brought against him, including terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree premeditated murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
