OXFORD High School shooter Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life without parole after the deadly Oxford High School shooting.
His parents Jennifer and James are facing separate counts of involuntary manslaughter related to their son’s deadly rampage.
APEthan Crumbley’s parents James and Jennifer Crumbley are gun-use advocators[/caption]
Who is Jennifer Crumbley?
On November 30, 2021, a shooting at Oxford High School left four students dead and six injured after then-15-year-old Ethan Crumbly opened fire on his classmates.
On the day before the shooting, a teacher claimed they saw Ethan looking at ammunition on his phone, and when the teacher called Jennifer, there was no response.
However, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said text messages show Jennifer texted her son and told him, “lol, I’m not mad at you, you have to learn not to get caught.”
The following morning, Jennifer was called to the school after his teacher said he was drawing a semi-automatic handgun that pointed at the words, “The thoughts won’t stop, help me.”
A section in the note also showed a bullet with the words “Blood everywhere” above it.
When Ethan and his parents were called into the office after the teacher flagged the note, they refused to put their son in counseling and insisted he stay in school.
That was mere hours before the shooting.
Text messages revealed that Jennifer had texted her son on the day of the shooting.
Jennifer had previously advocated for gun use prior to the school shooting at Oxford High School.
In November 2016, she wrote a detailed letter to Donald Trump on her blog, which has since been deleted, where she appeared to praise the former president and his views.
She wrote, “As a female and a realtor, thank you for allowing my right to bear arms.”
“Allowing me to be protected if I show a home to someone with bad intentions. Thank you for respecting that Amendment.”
Who is James Crumbley?
Ethan’s father James Crumbley purchased the gun used in the Oxford High School shooting, according to the Oakland County sheriff.
He bought the 9mm semi-automatic handgun on Black Friday, which his son allegedly used to kill four students and injure five more and a teacher.
Police confirmed James purchased three 15-round magazines for the pistol, but only two had so far been recovered.
It isn’t clear where James purchased the semi-automatic weapon, but the owner of Action Impact Gun Range, Bill Kucyk, said the gun isn’t manufactured or made widely available anymore.
Roughly 40 minutes after the shooting, James allegedly made a 911 call saying his son may have been the shooter.
James and his wife Jennifer were considered fugitives after failing to hand themselves over to the police on December 3, 2021.
The pair were found in a basement in Detroit after hours of searching.
Facebook/jcrumbleyJames Crumbley purchased the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting on Black Friday[/caption]
What are the charges against James and Jennifer Crumbley?
James and Jennifer are each facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter related to their son Ethan’s deadly rampage.
At a press conference on December 4, 2021, Sheriff Michael Bouchard revealed the three Crumbleys were all in isolation and on suicide watch, despite not having any reported mental health conditions to indicate suicidal tendencies.
He went on to explain that security will increase in the town and at the school, adding that he believes school shooters are “evil” and “cowards”.
In her first court appearance, Jennifer broke down in tears as the judge read off her charges.
The Michigan couple pleaded not guilty to all charges against them and claimed that the gun used in the crime was “locked”.
They are being held on a $500,000 bond each after the judge cited concerns about them being a “flight risk,” based on their previous actions.
Before turning themselves in, law enforcement was tracking the Crumbley’s whereabouts via cellphone towers, before their phones were turned off.
A law enforcement official later told CNN that James and Jennifer withdrew $4,000 from an ATM on December 3, 2021.
They reportedly used an ATM in Rochester Hills, about 15 miles away from Oxford.
Sheriff Bouchard told CNN, “If they think they’re going to get away, they’re not.”
Oakland County prosecutor, Karen McDonald told Fox2 News on December 2 that both James and Jennifer had been “difficult,” adding Ethan should not have had access to his father’s gun.
McDonald stated, “We know owning a gun means securing it properly locked up and keeping ammunition separate and not allowing access to other individuals especially minors.”
Adding people should be held accountable when a child gets a hold of their handgun she concluded, “We will be making a decision swiftly.”
Ethan was charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder, and one count of terrorism, among others for the shooting that killed Hana St. Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Tate Myre, 16, and Justin Shilling, 17.
Ethan pleaded guilty in court in late October 2022 to avoid trial after killing four classmates.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on December 8, 2023.
James and Jennifer will have separate trials, one of which was scheduled to start on January 17, 2023, but was rescheduled for January 23, 2024, per CBS.
Their trial was put on hold after the Michigan Supreme Court postponed it, ordering the Court of Appeals to hear arguments from the Crumbleys’ attorneys who say they shouldn’t be held accountable for their son’s independent actions.
Jury selection for Jennifer’s trial began on January 23 and James’ trial is set to begin on March 5, per the ABC affiliate, WXYZ in Detroit.
If convicted, the couple could face up to 15 years in prison.
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