‘Gross negligence’: why a parent like James Crumbley can be found guilty for their child’s crimes

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Thaddeus Hoffmeister, University of Dayton

(THE CONVERSATION) In a case of what prosecutors described as “gross negligence,” a Michigan jury convicted James Crumbley on charges of involuntary manslaughter for his role in his son’s deadly rampage at Oxford High School nearly three years ago.

Crumbley’s conviction follows the similar fate of his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, who was convicted on Feb. 6, 2024, for her role in the slayings that left four high school teenagers dead and another seven injured. Both were sentenced by a Michigan judge on April 8, 2024 to between 10 and 15 years in prison.

In December 2023, their son, Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting in which he killed four people and wounded seven others.

Were the parents responsible?

Many were surprised when the Crumbleys were charged for their alleged role in the tragedy.

Criminal law, unlike civil law,...