James and Jennifer Crumbley have each been sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for their role in their son’s school shooting.
The groundbreaking sentence means they become the first parents to ever serve time over a child’s school shooting. Their sentences will be served minus 858 days they have already served, and they will be barred from speaking to their son’s victim’s families.
The sentence was read shortly after the heartbroken mother of one of Ethan Crumbley’s victims slammed his parents for a lack of remorse, as she pleaded with a judge to impose a maximum sentence, which they received.
Speaking at the sentencing hearing of James and Jennifer Crumbley, Nicole Beausoliel, the mother of slain Madisyn Baldwin, 17, scathed the couple as ‘failed parents.’
‘You’ve shown no remorse or respect to our family,’ the stricken mother said through tears. ‘The words involuntary should not be a part of your sentence.’
Her tearful statement was followed by the mother of Justin Shilling, who echoed Beausoliel’s grief as she condemned them for not ‘cherishing or even wanting your son.’
‘But I cherished and wanted mine,’ she added. ‘You failed your son.’
The emotional victim impact statements came as James and Jennifer Crumbley could barely look at each other as they were forced into a frosty reunion at their manslaughter sentencing over their teen son Ethan’s school shooting.
James and Jennifer Crumbley sat at the same table ahead of their sentencing, as they will be forced to hear heartbreaking victim impact statements
Nicole Beausoliel, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, gave the first victim impact statement through tears as she slammed the parents for showing ‘no remorse or respect’
Madisyn Baldwin, 17, (left) and Hana St Juliana, 14, (right) died in the 2021 shooting rampage at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit
Justin Shilling, 17, (left) and Tate Myre, 16, (right) were also killed in the senseless shooting
The Michigan parents each face up to 15 years in prison, after they were found guilty at separate trials of callously ignoring their son’s pleas for mental health support before buying him the gun he used to kill four classmates in 2021.
The victim impact statements condemned the parents for their failure to act, as Justin Shilling’s mother said ‘the ripple effect of James and Jennifer’s failures are felt by all.’
‘If only they had done something,’ she said, requesting the judge impose the maximum sentence. ‘You failed.’
Justin’s father Craig Shilling closed his victim impact statement with a request to the room, solemnly asking other parents to ‘go home and hug your kids.’
In a request for lenient sentencing, Jennifer’s attorney said she is ‘hugely distraught and remorseful’ over the shooting.
However, she faced scrutiny when she took the stand in her own defense at trial, as Jennifer insisted she was not at fault and the blame laid with her husband, son and the school. She testified: ‘I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently, and I wouldn’t have.’
These words were repeated by several victim impact statements, as Reina St Juliana – the sister of victim Hana St Juliana – said she ‘couldn’t fathom’ why the mother would feel that way.
Steve St Juliana stood silent for several moments at the start of his statement, as he said he has been left ‘a shell of the person I used to be.’
‘They continue to blame anyone else but themselves,’ he said. ‘Through their actions, through their gross negligence, they allowed their son to murder my daughter.
‘Hannah’s murder has destroyed a large portion of my life. Every day is a battle, the attempt to move forward, the struggle to get out of bed, go through the motions.
‘I will never walk her down the aisle, as she begins the journey of starting her own family. I am forever denied the chance to hold her children in my arms.’
Reina St Juliana – the sister of victim Hana St Juliana – said she ‘couldn’t fathom’ why Jennifer would testify that she ‘wouldn’t change’ anything she did
Steve St Juliana said he has been left ‘a shell of the person I used to be’ in his tearful statement
Jennifer glares at James Crumbley during their sentencing hearing. The couple have been estranged for years, asked to have their trials separated, and have each spent 27 months in jail since their arrest
The couple’s son Ethan was 15 when he opened fire on classmates at Oxford High School in November 2021, killing four and injuring seven others. He is currently serving life without the possibility of parole
James was led first into the courtroom in orange prison fatigues before his estranged wife joined him at their attorney’s table minutes later, with both appearing to make efforts not to look at the other and stare directly ahead.
Prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence each parent to between 10 and 15 years in state prison, citing their ‘chilling lack of remorse.’
James was particularly called out by prosecutors, and he had his communications cut during his trial after making a series of threatening jail calls, including saying Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald would face ‘retribution.’
Before his sentencing, James read a statement where he said his ‘heart is broken for all involved’, and he stressed that claims he had no remorse for his son’s actions were not true.
‘I know the pain and loss will never go away.’
Their son Ethan was 15 when he opened fire on classmates at Oxford High School in November 2021, killing four and injuring seven others. He is currently serving life without the possibility of parole.
Following the shooting, the Crumbley’s fled the Oxford Township area after charges against them were announced.
They remained on the run for around a day, drained their bank accounts, and turned off their phones before being captured in a Detroit art studio, moves that took center stage at their trials.
The parents were also accused of recklessly buying Ethan the gun used in the tragedy while ignoring his pleas for help, as their juries saw his diary where he detailed how his parents ‘won’t help.’
Following some early deliberations on the sentencing guidelines, James and Jennifer are set to hear around a dozen victim impact statements, including from the parents of children murdered by Ethan.
James and Jennifer were tried separately at their own request, and their trials marked the first-time parents have ever faced charges over their child’s school shooting. The married couple have been estranged for years as they have both been incarcerated since their arrest over two years ago.
At Jennifer’s trial, her claims that she was ‘too busy’ to help Ethan on the day of the shooting after he was caught drawing disturbing images of school shootings were shot down as humiliating revelations of her private life were heard by the court.
Namely, she was caught having an extramarital affair with local fire captain Brian Meloche amid claims she met up with him during the tragedy, alongside allegations about her use of online hookup apps as prosecutors painted her as a negligent mother.
At Jennifer’s trial, she faced humiliating revelations that she was carrying out an extramarital affair with local fire captain Brian Meloche (pictured)
The parents’ attorneys have countered prosecution’s sentencing request by asking for less than fire years each.
Jennifer’s attorney has also requested that the 27 months she has already served be credited in sentencing, and she be placed under house arrest ‘on a tether’ at her defense attorney’s home.
In a separate request for leniency, James Crumbley’s attorney said the father has ‘expressed significant remorse’ for his role in the tragedy, and asked for him to be sentenced to 28 months in prison with time served alongside maximum period of supervision.
Alternatively, the attorney sought for 43 months in prison with credit for time served.
James had his communications cut off from anyone besides his legal team during his trial after he made a series of ‘threatening’ jail house calls, including saying the prosecutors would face ‘retribution.’
His attorney denied his calls were threats, and insisted James ‘at worst engaged in frustrated name calling.’
At James’ trial, jurors heard that he bought his son the Sig Sauer 9mm firearm used in the shooting at a Black Friday sale four days before the school shooting, and Jennifer took him to the gun range the day after the purchase.
James failed to properly secure the gun, keeping it only in a lock box that Ethan easily opened on the day of the shooting. His trial also heard that he kept other guns locked only with the code ‘000.’
On the morning of the school shooting, teachers became concerned after finding alarming drawings and writings on his homework, including drawings of shooting victims around ‘the thoughts won’t stop… Help me’
One of the teen killer’s trips to the shooting range with his father was shown to the court during James’ trial, eerily matching the stance he took when he shot and killed classmates
In one of Ethan Crumbley’s diary entries shown on at trial, Ethan wrote: ‘I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the f****** school’
Jennifer Crumbley seen entering court shortly before she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on February 6, 2024
James Crumbley seen at his trial, held separately to his estranged wife’s trial, on February 21, 2024. As he now faces sentencing, prosecutors cited him for making ‘threatening’ jail calls during the trial
A significant portion of both parents’ trials was also spent on a crucial school meeting the morning of the shooting.
Ethan’s teachers became concerned after looking at his math homework, where he made disturbing drawings of shootings and wrote: ‘The thoughts won’t stop, help me.’
Unbeknownst to others in the room, Ethan had stolen the 9mm semiautomatic handgun from his home, which James had failed to lock up. At his trial, it was heard that the cable lock for the gun was still in its packaging inside the box.
James and Jennifer were brought into school to discuss the drawings, but both said they were ‘too busy’ to take him home and went back to work. Less than two hours later, Ethan opened fire.