School massacre: the 15-year-old's father also sentenced for giving him the weapon

For the first time in the United States, the parents of the perpetrator of a school massacre were also convicted. The father of the 15-year-old who killed four boys after entering a Michigan school with a gun has been convicted of manslaughter.

James Crumbley47, had bought his son the gun used in the November 2021 shooting and ignored the mental health of the 15 year old and the problems connected to this. For his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, the sentence should arrive next month, after being convicted on the same charges. Both could be sentenced to 15 years in prison on April 9.

Ethan Crumbley, 15 years old at the time of the massacre, was sentenced to life in prison which he is serving. He killed classmates Tate Myre, 16; Hana Santa Giuliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven people were also injured in the shooting.

There BBC reports the words of Steve St Juliana, Hana's father. The man called the Crumbley trial just the first step in fighting gun-related violence in the United States. «Our children die daily in mass murders and we do too little. We can put people on the Moon, we can build skyscrapers, huge monuments like Hoover Dam and we can't keep our children safe in schools». Also speaking to the BBC, the man said that living every day without his daughter is a struggle: “he always laughed, he always made people laugh.”

Prosecutor Karen McDonald said this verdict doesn't bring the boys back, “but it marks a moment of responsibility.” And she added: “These parents could have avoided this tragedy with minimal effort”. In his speech he said that the massacre at Oxford High School was preventable and predictable. Speaking about James Crumbley's actions he said he did not take even the slightest measure to ensure his son did not pose a threat after giving him a semi-automatic pistol. Prosecutors also said the Crumbleys did not do enough to manage their son's worsening mental health.

On the same morning as the school massacre, they were called to school because of a disturbing drawing made by their son, they left without bringing their son home and no one checked to see if there was a gun in his backpack. Crumbley's defense attorney, Mariell Lehman, argued that her client had no idea her son was going through a difficult time. James Crumbley did not testify, unlike his wife who blamed him.

Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys failed to ensure the gun was stored safely. “Parents and gun owners have a responsibility to prevent children from accessing deadly weapons,” said Nick Suplina with the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The theme is that of responsibility in owning weapons.