The first parents ever to be charged for their child's mass shooting were sentenced Tuesday in the U.S. state of Michigan to a decade of prison time.
Jennifer and James Crumbley, whose son, Ethan, murdered four students Nov. 30, 2021, at Oxford High School, were sentenced 10 to 15 years, respectively, according to media outlets. They will receive credit for more than two years already served.
Both were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials weeks earlier, making them the first-ever parents to be held accountable for their child's actions in a deadly school shooting.
Judge Cheryl Matthews explained the decision should serve as a deterrent to other parents to try to stop school shootings.
"Opportunity knocked over and over again, louder and louder, and was ignored," said Matthews. "No one answered and these two people should have and sure didn't."
"These convictions confirm repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train," the judge added.
James Crumbley addressed the courtroom with a statement apologizing to the victims of his son's violent rampage.
"I want to say I can't imagine the pain and agony ... for the families that have lost their children and what they are experiencing and what they are going through," said Crumbley. "As a parent, our biggest fear is losing our child or our children, and to lose a child is unimaginable. My heart is really broken for everybody involved."
