A jury found James Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter
A jury found James Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter (Picture: Reuters)

A father who purchased a gun his teenage son used to kill four students in a Michigan high school shooting has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

James Crumbley on Thursday joined his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, in facing an identical conviction around the November 2021 Oxford High School shooting committed by their son, Ethan Crumbley.

A jury after 11 hours of deliberating found James partially responsible for not stopping Ethan in the state’s deadliest school shooting.

The couple are the first American parents to be charged in a mass shooting carried out by their child. James and Jennifer were tried separately.

James Crumbley gets emotional after watching the video of his son walking through the halls of Oxford High School in a video shown in the Oakland County courtroom on March 8
James Crumbley gets emotional after watching the video of his son walking through the halls of Oxford High School in a video shown in the Oakland County courtroom on March 8 (Picture: AP)

During James’ trial, prosecutors zeroed in on the Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun he bought four days before the massacre. Prosecutors also delved into the couple’s response to a drawing Ethan made on his math assignments hours before opening fire.

‘James Crumbley was presented with the easiest, most glaring opportunities to prevent the deaths of these four students,’ Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said during closing arguments on Wednesday.

‘And he did nothing.’

Ethan’s drawing depicted a gun and a wounded man and included the text, ‘The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. My life is useless.’ Ethan told a counselor that he was sad over his dog and grandmother’s deaths and that the sketch was for a video game.

Ethan Crumbley has been sentenced to life in prison without parole
Ethan Crumbley has been sentenced to life in prison without parole (Picture: AP)
James Crumbley was tried separately from his wife who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in February
James Crumbley was tried separately from his wife who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in February (Picture: AP)

He and his parents did not tell school officials about the gun James had purchased. A school administrator joked about Ethan’s backpack being heavy, but did not look inside. Ethan pulled the gun from his bag that day and shot dead Justin Shilling, 17; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Hana St Juliana, 14; and Tate Myre, 16.

‘James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did,’ McDonald told jurors. ‘James Crumbley is on trial for what he did and for what he didn’t do.’

The prosecutor added that James ‘doesn’t get a pass because somebody else’ fired the gun he purchased.

James did not testify in his defense.

James Crumbley's attorney Mariell Lehman madee closing statements in the Oakland County Courtroom of Cheryl Matthews on Wednesday
James Crumbley’s attorney Mariell Lehman madee closing statements in the Oakland County Courtroom of Cheryl Matthews on Wednesday (Picture: AP)
Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, was the first parent in US history to be convicted in a mass shooting carried out by their child
Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, was the first parent in US history to be convicted in a mass shooting carried out by their child (Picture: Getty Images)

His attorney, Mariell Lehman, told the jury to consider what he did not know leading up to the mass shooting.

‘You heard no testimony, and you saw no evidence, that James had any knowledge that his son was a danger to anyone,’ said the defense attorney.

Ethan, who was 15 at the time of the shooting and is now 17, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Jennifer was convicted in February. Her conviction was viewed by some as possibly opening the door for more parents of young shooters to be charged in the future.

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