Parents who bought gun for teenage school shooter sentenced

The parents of a Michigan teenager who shot dead four fellow students with a gun bought by the couple have each been sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.

Jurors found James and Jennifer Crumbley guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter after they ignored their 15-year-old son’s mental health needs, and bought him a gun that he used days later in the school shooting.

Ethan Crumbley killed students Tate Myre, 16; Hana St Juliana,14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, with a semi-automatic handgun at Oxford High School in 2021.

He is now serving life in prison without parole.

The families of the young victims gave victim impact statements ahead of their sentencing.

Justin Shilling’s father said “the blood of our children is on your hands too”, while his mother said: “It doesn’t appear either of you even wanted or cherished your son, but I wanted and cherished mine”.

This is the first time the parents of a child who carried out a mass shooting have been held liable.

Ethan Crumbley was 15 when he shot dead four of his fellow students / Credit: AP

On the day of the shooting, the Crumbleys cut short a school meeting about a disturbing drawing their son had made, leaving him at the school.

School staff later sent him back to class without checking his backpack, which contained the murder weapon.

Police charged the Crumbleys within days of the shooting, but were forced to launch a manhunt after they failed to appear for a hearing.

Jennifer Crumbley stated that her statement in the trial that “she would not do anything differently” was misunderstood, and insisted that she and her husband “were good parents”.

James Crumbley said in an emotional statement to the families present: “I have cried for you and the loss of your children more than I can count”.

Defence lawyers have argued that the Crumbleys were responsible for “one grossly negligent act” rather than four separate criminal acts.

The judge agreed with prosecutors that this would be akin to acting as if only one child was shot dead.