Father Of Oxford High School Mass Shooter, James Crumbley, Found Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter

The father of the Oxford High School shooter, James Crumbley, has been found guilty. This is on four counts of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the fatal November 2021 shooting.

It took the jury two days to deliberate on the matter.

In November 2021, Ethan Crumbley fatally shot for students. They were Hannah St.Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Schilling, and Madisyn Baldwin, and wounded six other students and a teacher.

In the trial, it was stated that 47-year-old James Crumbley had ignored his son Ethan’s mental health issues. In addition to that, he had bought him the firearm that he used in the attack.

He and his wife, who was also convicted for the same offenses, now both face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The case is believed to be the first time parents of a mass shooter have been held criminally accountable. They are expected to be sentenced on April 9.

“This guilty verdict won’t bring back the lives of these four students. But it represents one more step towards holding everyone responsible under the law,” stated Attorney Ven Johnson.

He added that James and Jennifer Crumbley played a “casual role” in the killing of the four students.

Prosecutors had argued that James Crumbley’s behavior had been “rare and egregious.” He had not taken any steps to prevent his son from being a threat. Also, he had given him a semi-automatic pistol as a present just days prior to the shooting.

The day of the shooting the two parents did not attend a school meeting. This was in regards to a concerning drawing that their son had made. Instead, they decided to go to work and wouldn’t take him home.

Ethan then went back to class without anyone checking his backpack which had a firearm inside of it.

When Crumbley learned about the shooting, he swiftly went home from work as a DoorDash delivery driver to search for the firearm.

Crumbley’s attorney had stated that, “James had no idea that his son was having a hard time.”

Crumbley didn’t speak in his own defense, like his wife did, who took the stand during her trial and attempted to put fault on her husband.

Prosecutors had also noted that the Crumbley’s did not ensure that the firearm was safely stored.

The Crumbleys were charged by authorities just days after the shooting.

At first the parents were expected to be tried together. However, in November, they requested separate trials.