(WWJ) The parents of convicted Oxford High School mass shooter Ethan Crumbley have both been sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison, with credit for time served.
That's the maximum penalty.
In separate trials, James and Jennifer Crumbley were convicted of four counts each of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths of four students, fatally shot by their son at Oxford High School in 2021.
Speaking before handing down the sentences, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews said this case warrants going beyond the sentencing guidelines, which called for about four to eight years in prison.
The judge said the Crumbleys missed ample opportunities to stop the massacre before it happened.
"These convictions confirm repeated acts, or lack of acts, that could've halted an oncoming runaway train," Matthew said. "About repeatedly ignoring things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand up. Opportunity knocked over and over again, louder and louder, and was ignored. No one answered, and these two people should have, and sure didn't."
"Mr. Crumbley, it is clear that because of you there was unfettered access to a gun or guns, as well as ammunition at your home," Matthews continued. "...Mrs. Crumbley, you glorified the use and possession of these weapons. Your attitude toward your son and his behaviors was dispassionate and apathetic. Your response to school staff after a 12-minute meeting was: 'Are we done here?'"
Matthews noted Jennifer Crumbley stated during her trial that, if she could go back, she would not have done anything differently. "I understood that that might have been misinterpreted, but it did cut the victims deep," the judge said.
Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 years old at the time, opened fire inside Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, killing Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling, Tate Myre and Hana St. Juliana and wounding six other students and a teacher.
Oakland County prosecutors asserted during the trials that Jennifer and James knew their son was struggling with his mental health, but ignored it. Rather than getting help for the teen, James Crumbly bought his son a 9mm handgun, took him to the range to learn how to use it, and failed to keep the weapon safely stored.
As the sentencing hearing began, another issue raised were alleged threats James Crumbley made against Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald while speaking with a family member on a jail telephone.
Among other things, James Crumbley stated on that call that "there will be retribution," that McDonald would "soon be sucking on a f—ing hot rock in hell," and that she'd "bettering be f—ing scared."
While James Crumbley's attorney, Mariell Lehman, argued those comments were made out of frustration, the judge agreed with prosecutors that James Crumbley was clearly threatening McDonald.
Tuesday’s sentencing hearing spanned several hours, with family members of victims delivering impact statements.
First to stand and speak was Madisyn Baldwin's mother, Nicole Beausoleil.
She spoke of the loss of her daughter, remembered for her big sister skills, her kind soul, her infectious laugh, and her smile that lit up the room.
"Madisyn had an influence that most never achieve," Beausoleil said. "Sometimes I would listen to a poem she wrote, or watched her create art with no tracing — just pure talent. She would take about college and what majors she would like to do and what would be most helpful to society. The passion that she had for everything and everyone was remarkable."
Beausoleil spoke directly to the shooter's parents, offering a rundown of events from her perspective. "While your son was hearing voices and asking for help, I was helping Madisyn pick out her senior classes. While your were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays... When you were on the phone for 10 minutes with each other trying to figure out where the gun was, I was on the phone with her father and family trying to figure out where she was... When you knew the gun was missing, you called the police knowing it was your son who took it, I was having family call every hospital describing what she looked like."
"...When you were worried about what people thought of you and feeling threatened, I was learning that you son threatened my daughter and fatally shot her in the head. When you drove to get your burner phones for communication, I was laying on the floor at Meijers for hours because I forgot how to speak. When you checked into your first hotel, I was telling Madisyn's 11-year-old sister she was gone," Beausoleil said.
Beausoleil said any punishment for James and Jennifer Crumbley would never be enough. "It will never bring her back, it will never be a loss that you have suffered, and it will never heal the pain," she said, through tears. "Because one day you're going to be able to see your son, visit, hear his voice, possibly laugh, maybe see him grow. I will never see that again. Because the so called loss that you say you have suffered doesn't even compare to the loss of a child."
The father of Tate Myre didn't even address the Crumbleys, instead using his time to speak to call for a state investigation to learn more about what happened.
"Many don't know that our government has not investigated this murder," Buck Myre said. "A pre-shooting investigation, a day of the shooting investigation, and a deep dive investigation into the horrible response to this tragedy; the disrespect shown to us families. The simple things, like trauma training for somebody like a Sheriff Bouchard, who we got to talk to on that day that we got to go identify Tate, and he referred to Tate as a girl... Because he was too busy that night working to cover up, cover it up, instead of learning about every kid: Tate, Hana, Justin and Madisyn."
Other family members speaking Tuesday said the Crumbleys failed as parents, agreeing that this tragedy was preventable.
The Crumbleys are the first parents in U.S. history to be held criminally responsible for a school shooting carried out by their child.
Ethan Crumbley is currently serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.