Crumbley Parents Face Sentencing Tuesday: What To Know

PONTIAC, MI — Jennifer and James Crumbley will be sentenced to prison Tuesday inside a Pontiac courtroom after they were each convicted on four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deadly Oxford school shooting.

They face a maximum sentence of 15 years on each count, but Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews is unlikely to stack the counts, meaning the couple likely faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Oakland County prosecutors asked Matthews to sentence the couple to 10-15 years each, arguing the couple showed a "chilling lack of remorse" after a jury found them guilty on manslaughter charges.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and some witnesses are expected to give impact statements during the hearing. The statements allow the victims to express how the crime has impacted them, their lives and those around them, both physically and emotionally. The defendant must be present to hear the statements, giving the victims an opportunity to speak directly to the perpetrator.

The couple's son, Ethan Crumbley, who is now 17, was sentenced to life without parole last December after he admitted to the shooting that left four dead in November 2021.

The four students killed in the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting were 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.

Prosecutors said the couple ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the deadly shooting and instead of getting him help for his mental health, they bought him a gun.
Defense lawyers maintain the couple had no idea what their son was planning, arguing they could not be held accountable because he was not "directly involved" in the Oxford school shooting, and are not "responsible for the deaths of others."

During the trials, an Oxford High School counselor recounted the morning leading up to the deadly shooting, after the parents were called to the high school to discuss a disturbing drawing their son did on a math worksheet.

The worksheet had drawings of a gun, a bullet and a bleeding shooting victim, along with handwritten words reading: "My life is useless," "Blood everywhere" and "The thoughts won't stop, help me."

The counselor testified that he gave the parents a list of mental health resources and explained to them that they should get their son counseling services within 48 hours, and that he'd be following up with them. While he was talking to Jennifer Crumbley, he said he heard James Crumbley tell Ethan, "you have people you can talk to, you can talk to your counselor, you have your journal, we can talk."

"My concern at that point was there wasn’t any action happening," counselor Shawn Hopkins testified. He also said the meeting with Ethan's parents came to an "abrupt" end, with Jennifer asking, "Are we done?"

Jennifer and James refused to take their son home after the meeting, and Ethan returned to class. Hours later, he opened fire, killing four students, and wounding six others and a teacher.

Related:

• James Crumbley's Jail Calls Threatening Prosecutors Released: Report
• What James Crumbley Told Son During Meeting With Counselors: Official
• James Crumbley's Sister Testifies In Oxford Shooting Trial
• James Crumbley Made Flurry Of Phone Calls Right After Oxford Shooting
• Jennifer Crumbley Ignored Son's Paranoia, 'Demon' Texts: Witness
• Oxford Shooter Never Asked For Help, Mom Jennifer Crumbley Testifies