James Crumbley, father of the Michigan attacker, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter

(CNN) — James Crumbley, the father of a 2021 Michigan school shooting that claimed the lives of four students, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter at his trial. A month earlier, the attacker’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, was also indicted on the same charges.

James Crumbley was convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison to run concurrently.

The cases against the parents of gunman Ethan Crumbley were presented as a litmus test of who is responsible for school shootings.

Additionally, the judge confirmed to the court that the gag order imposed on the lawyers would be lifted.

Sentencing for James and Jennifer Crumbley will be announced at 9 a.m. on April 9, the judge said in court.

After James Crumbley was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, each juror read and affirmed the verdict.

Relatives of the victims wept as the verdict was read.

Parents of the shooting victims, including Madisyn Baldwin’s parents, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Schilling, hugged the lead prosecutor after the verdict.

In their closing arguments Wednesday, attorneys said James Crumbley was “grossly negligent” because he bought a SIG Sauer 9mm pistol for his son days before the attack, failed to properly secure it, ignored his son’s deteriorating mental health and took it. failed. reasonable precautions” to avoid imminent danger.

“James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “James Crumbley is being judged for what he did and didn’t do.”

In response, defense attorney Mariel Lehman said the prosecution’s case lacked evidence and was based on “assumptions and hindsight.”

“They heard no testimony and saw no evidence that James had any knowledge that his son was a danger to anyone,” he said.

The discussions come more than two years after Ethan Crumbley, then 15, used a 9mm SIG Sauer to shoot four students and injure six students and a teacher at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.

The cases against the parents represent a litmus test of who is responsible for mass shootings. Lawyers seeking to expand the scope of culpability in mass shootings have used an innovative legal strategy by arguing that parents are personally liable for the deaths because they obtained a gun for their son and ignored signs of his declining mental health.

Parents have previously faced liability for their children’s actions, such as neglect or weapons charges, but Jennifer Crumbley’s guilty verdict marked the first time the father of a school shooter has been held accountable. was directly responsible for the murder. His sentencing is scheduled for April 9.

The attacker’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in February. (Credit: Jeff Kowalski/AFP/Getty Images)

Ethan was sentenced last year to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to terrorism-related death, four counts of murder and 19 other related charges. He did not testify at any of his parents’ trials, as his lawyers said he would exercise his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

James Crumbley’s trial began last week and was similar to his wife’s, with several shooting survivors, police investigators and school personnel present.

However, prosecutors focused more on the purchase of the firearm and how he stored it, while presenting little evidence about his personal life and interests. Most notably, Jennifer Crumbley took the stand in her own defense at trial, blaming others and expressing no remorse.

In contrast, James Crumbley refused to testify. He told the court that it is my decision to remain silent.

The prosecution rested after calling 15 witnesses last week. The defense called a witness, James Crumbley’s sister Karen, who testified that she spent several days with the Crumbley family in April and June 2021 and didn’t notice anything about it.