James Crumbley Found Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter In Son’s High School Mass Shooting Case

A Michigan jury has declared James Crumbley, the father of a high school shooter, guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Jennifer Crumbley, the shooter’s mother, was convicted of the same charges last month and became the first parent ever directly held responsible for their child’s involvement in a mass shooting.

Legal experts assert that this verdict may set an important precedent for the extent to which parents can be held accountable for the actions of their children in school shootings.

Prosecutors argued that James exhibited gross negligence when he purchased a SIG Sauer 9mm gun for his son just four days before the attack, failed to properly secure it, disregarded his son’s deteriorating mental health and neglected to take reasonable precautions to prevent foreseeable danger.

Prosecutors contended that the shooting could have been prevented if either James or Jennifer Crumbley had followed a school counselor’s recommendation to keep their son out of school on the day of the attack or had informed school authorities about their recent gun purchase.

Ethan Crumbley, then 15 years old, used the SIG Sauer firearm to kill four students and injure six students and a teacher at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year.

The cases against the elder Crumbleys attracted national attention due to the questions they raised about parental accountability in mass shootings. Previous cases that involved parents facing liability for their child’s actions, such as negligence or firearms charges, have resulted in few verdicts of this nature.

James and Jennifer Crumbley were each convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison, to be served concurrently. Sentencing for both individuals is scheduled for April 9. Several other cases in the United States have involved parents being charged for shootings committed by their children.

In Illinois, the father of a mass shooter at a July 4 parade was accused of misconduct for signing his son’s application for a state Firearm Owners Identification card despite concerning behavior. Additionally, in Virginia, a mother faced charges after her 6-year-old child shot a teacher.

As the legal landscape continues to evolve, the Crumbley case serves as a significant milestone as it highlights the need for further examination and discussion on parental responsibility, mental health awareness, and gun safety in the United States.