Local NewsMichigan school shooter's father found guilty of manslaughter

Michigan school shooter's father found guilty of manslaughter

PONTIAC, MICHIGAN - MARCH 14: James Crumbley, the father of Oxford High School school shooter Ethan Crumbley, enters the courtroom to hear the jury's verdict on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four Oxford High School students who were shot and killed by his son, on March 14, 2024 at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Michigan. The jury found him guilty on all four counts. Crumbley's wife Jennifer Crumbley was convicted on the same four counts at her trial last month, the first time in U.S. history that a parent was tried in relation to a mass school shooting that was committed by their child. Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN - MARCH 14: James Crumbley, the father of Oxford High School school shooter Ethan Crumbley, enters the courtroom to hear the jury's verdict on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four Oxford High School students who were shot and killed by his son, on March 14, 2024 at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Michigan. The jury found him guilty on all four counts. Crumbley's wife Jennifer Crumbley was convicted on the same four counts at her trial last month, the first time in U.S. history that a parent was tried in relation to a mass school shooting that was committed by their child. Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Images source: © GETTY | Bill Pugliano

8:11 AM EDT, March 15, 2024

The parent of a gunman responsible for the deaths of four students in a Michigan school has been found guilty of manslaughter.

During the trial, it was revealed that James Crumbley, aged 47, neglected the mental health issues of his 15-year-old son and purchased the handgun his son utilized in the November 2021 shooting.

After more than two years since Ethan Crumbley, then 15, used a SIG Sauer 9mm to kill four students and injure six others along with a teacher at Oxford High School, the jury concluded its deliberations on Thursday.

Next month, Jennifer Crumbley, his wife is scheduled to receive her sentence after being found guilty of the same charges.

Prosecutors in closing arguments Wednesday said James Crumbley was "grossly negligent" because he bought the SIG Sauer 9mm gun for his son days before the attack, failed to properly secure it, ignored his son’s deteriorating mental health, and did not take "reasonable care" to prevent foreseeable danger, reports CNN.

""James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did," Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald said. "James Crumbley is on trial for what he did and what he didn’t do.""

According to CNN, in response, defense attorney Mariell Lehman asserted the prosecution’s case lacked evidence and was based on "assumptions and hindsight."

"You heard no testimony and you saw no evidence that James had any knowledge that his son was a danger to anyone," she said.

James Crumbley is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Source: CNN, BBC

Source:EssaNews
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