Ethan Crumbley Gunned Down His Own High School
Teenager Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday for gunning down four classmates and wounding six others and a teacher at Michigan’s Oxford High School in 2021. Dismissing last-minute defense pleas that Crumbley’s life is salvageable, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwamé Rowe noted that the “defendant in his own words” told the court “this is nobody’s fault but his own.”
On Nov. 30, 2021, James and Jennifer’s son, Ethan Crumbley, shot and killed Hana St. Juliana,14, and Tate Myre 16. He also managed to kill Justin Shilling, 17, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17. According to Rowe, the defendant ordered victim Justin Shilling to get on his knees before shooting him at point-blank range. He claimed that when Hana St. Juliana had fallen, he shot her once more, “to finish the job by shooting her again.”
“That is an execution. That is torture. He shot most people multiple times. And, as he wrote, he did this for notoriety. And he wanted to go down…as the biggest school shooter in Michigan history,” stated Rowe. Crumbley, then 17, sat at the defense table and watched the judge as she addressed the court. Prior to the judge’s sentence, Crumbley informed him: “I am a really bad person. I have done terrible things that no one should ever do.” Whatever the sentence handed down, he added, “I do plan to be better.”
Ethan’s parents have been sentenced to 10-15 years due to their son’s actions.
Discipline For The Parents
James and Jennifer Crumbley never publicly took accountability for their roles in the shooting. For the murderous rampage, they were both given prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years on April 10. A court and two jurors came to the conclusion that if the parents had chosen differently, this could have been avoided. Though the parents conveyed their regret to the families for their children’s deaths at the hands of the Crumbley’s son, the prosecution and the relatives of the victims contended that the parents failed to do one vital thing: acknowledge their error.
“Not once did they say, ‘I wished I would have locked the gun up’ and acknowledge that they’re not the victims in this,” Steve St. Juliana said. The three-hour sentencing hearing was full of tears, heartache, anger, and frustration. The judge appeared exasperated as she corrected the Crumbley’s parenting style and turned down all of their pleas for mercy.
School Shooting Taken To Court
As mentioned before, the school shooting has left the parents of Ethan Crumbley sentenced to prison. Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first parents in the U.S. to face criminal charges for a mass shooting that their child carried out. Juries found that by failing to intervene to stop the shooting, both parents — who were prosecuted separately — were responsible for their son’s acts. Later, on four charges of manslaughter connected to Ethan’s crime, two different juries convicted Jennifer and James guilty.
“This teenager admitted in court that he lied a lot. He was lying to his parents, he was lying to everyone around him. Ultimately, it was his decision that he was making, and he knew what he was doing was wrong,” Craig Scott, a survivor, said.
Family Spoke In Court
In court, Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, addressed James and Jennifer directly. “While you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays,” Beausoleil said.
The sister of the deceased Hana, Reina St. Juliana, also testified in court. “I never got to say goodbye,” she said. “I never got to remind her that I love her.”
Aforementioned, as a result, the school shooting perpetrated by Ethan Crumbley, has left his parents being sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.
Written By Dijana Reedfields
Sources:
People – Parents of Mich. High School Shooter Sentenced to Prison After Involuntary Manslaughter Convictions
Daily Mail – Could parents of ALL criminal kids now face prison? As Ethan Crumbley’s mom and dad are jailed for Michigan massacre, lawyers warn case sets powerful precedent – but one school shooting survivor says it’s ‘wrong’
Detroit Free Press – Defiant Crumbleys head to prison — ‘Not once did they say … they’re not the victims’
CNN – Ethan Crumbley sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing 4 students in Michigan school shooting
Top and Featured Image Courtesy Of Bob Dass‘ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Jean-Marc Ferré Courtesy Of UN Geneva‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
