Where are Jennifer and James Crumbley now?
Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials is a new true crime documentary airing on Hulu and Disney+. It tells the story of Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a former student of Oxford High School in Michigan who, while at the school, killed four of his classmates and injured several others using a 9mm semi-automatic handgun on November 30, 2021.
Ethan was found guilty of four counts of murder and one count of terrorism causing death when he was formally sentenced in December 2023. However, he wasn’t the only person in the Crumbley family to stand trial. His parents were also charged for their part in the mass shootings at the Michigan school in 2021.
In this article, we take a brief look at the reason why the Crumbley parents were brought to trial and we ask the question: Where are Jennifer and James Crumbley now?
What did Jennifer and James Crumbley do?
It’s not only a question of what Jennifer and James Crumbley did in the run-up to the school shooting but also what they didn’t do.
Four days before Ethan shot and killed four of his classmates, his parents bought him the gun that he used to commit his terrible crimes. After the couple bought Ethan the gun, which was an early Christmas present, Jennifer accompanied her son to the local shooting range where he was able to practice firing the weapon.
Buying a teenager is gun is hardly acceptable. But this wasn’t the Crumbley’s only offence, according to the prosecuting team who pushed for them to be taken to court. They also accused Ethan’s parents of being “grossly negligent” in the way in which they ignored signs of Ethan’s spiralling mental health.
On the day of the shooting, Jennifer and James were called into the school after Ethan’s teachers discovered violent messages and drawings on his schoolwork. They were told their son needed immediate counselling but instead of taking him out of school, they let him stay there for the day. (Source)
One of Ethan’s drawings was of a wounded man and a gun, with the words “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. My life is useless.” (Source)
Knowing that they had recently allowed their son to have a gun, the Crumbleys should have informed the school about their purchase. However, they neglected to do so. Consequently, they were considered partially responsible for the mass shooting that took place in November 2021.
What happened to Jennifer and James Crumbley?
In June 2022, a judge ruled that both Jennifer and James Crumbley would face involuntary manslaughter charges.
At her trial on February 6, 2024, Jennifer was found guilty on all 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter after the jury deliberated over the charges made against her. On March 14, 2024, James was also found guilty of the same.
On April 9, 2024, they were both sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.
Where are Jennifer and James Crumbley now?
Both parents are in prison where they are serving out the sentence handed to them. They will become eligible for parole after serving 10 years in custody. If parole is denied, they may be held in prison for up to 5 more years. (Source)
A timeline of events leading up to the prison sentence can be found here.
Read More: Where is Ethan Crumbley now?
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