Reuters
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 21:43
The parents of a Michigan school shooter have been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison. Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of manslaughter by a jury earlier this year. Today the judge determined their sentence.
The shooting happened on November 30, 2021 at Oxford High School, not far from Detroit. 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire on fellow students, killing four students. He himself was sentenced to life in prison at the end of last year. That includes the parents of one mass school shooter were indicted has never happened before in the United States.
Earlier on the day of the shooting, Ethan’s parents had come to school for a meeting. Their son had made a violent drawing during a math assignment. It contained lyrics such as “Blood is everywhere. My life is useless” and “The thoughts don’t stop. Help me.” However, the Crumbleys did not want to take Ethan home. No one checked his backpack, which concealed the weapon he would use later.
A day earlier, a teacher had caught Ethan looking for ammunition on his cell phone during class. He did that because he had gone to the shooting range with his mother, was the excuse. Also that day, Ethan’s parents were warned about their son’s behavior.
Bought a gun with his father
Ethan used a gun in the shooting that his father had purchased with him several days earlier. Before the attack, the boy also posted photos of the weapon on social media, showing him practicing on a target.
According to prosecutors, there were signs that Ethan Crumbley’s mental health was deteriorating months before the shooting. The parents did nothing about that either.
One of the parents of the deceased victims emotionally told her story:
Lengthy prison sentences for parents of Michigan school shooter
James Crumbley’s lawyer argued against imposing a prison sentence. After all, the parents had already been in pre-trial detention for 2.5 years, partly because they could not pay the bail of half a million dollars. He also said James Crumbley did not believe there was any reason to think his son was a danger to society.
However, the judge did not respond to the request. She said the case is not about bad parenting. “It’s about repeatedly ignoring things that would give most people the shivers. Opportunities were continually presented to stop it, but no one responded.”
2024-04-09 19:43:07
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