TRAGEDY befell Oxford High School as four students were fatally gunned down during a school shooting.
After Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to murdering his classmates, his parents were charged as well.
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 Crumbley 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."
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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.
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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.
What are the charges against James and Jennifer Crumbley?
James and Jennifer Crumbley were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter related to their son's deadly rampage.
The Michigan couple pleaded not guilty to all charges against them and claimed that the gun used in the crime was "locked".
Ethan was charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of terrorism for the deaths of 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, 16-year-old Tate Myre, and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.
Ethan pleaded guilty in court in late October 2022 to avoid trial.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on December 8, 2023.
On February 6, 2024, Jennifer was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
On Tuesday, April 9, the parents were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison. They will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years in prison. However, if their parole is denied, they cannot serve more than 15 years.
Ahead of their sentencing, families of the victims spoke.
"The defendants, through their choices, through their indifference and gross negligence, enabled their son to murder my daughter Hana and three other children," Steve St. Juliana said. His daughter, Hana, was killed in the shooting.
The Crumbleys spoke during the sentencing.
"I will be in my own internal prison for the rest of my life," Jennifer said.
