Crumbley was convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum punishment of up to 15 years in prison, which would run concurrently.
"James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did," Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald said.In response, defense attorney Mariell Lehman asserted the prosecution's case lacked evidence and was based on "assumptions and hindsight". The cases against the parents represent a test of the limits of who is responsible for a mass shooting.
He did not testify in either of his parents' trials, as his attorneys said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right to silence.Parents of each of the four children killed in the Oxford school shooting expressed concerns about mass shootings and the mental health of children in the United States at a news conference following the verdict.
Buck Myre, Tate Myre's father, urgently called for change amid what he referred to as "a mental health crisis"."The gun is just a tool, so we've got to look at other things other than the gun. We gotta see what we can do to support these kids better … we need to solve this because no parents should go through the hell we're going through," he added."They are going to see these families rise up against it. They are not allowed to forget," Beausoleil said.
According to testimony, James purchased the weapon for his son on Black Friday in 2021, and he later told investigators he hid it in a case in his armoire, with the bullets hidden in a different spot under some jeans. However, the defense has questioned whether a different locking mechanism may have been used to secure the firearm.