Summary

  • James and Jennifer Crumbley have been sentenced to 10-15 years each over a deadly gun attack by their son in 2021 at Oxford High School in Michigan

  • It is a landmark case, as the parents are the first to be held responsible for a school shooting carried out by their child

  • Their son Ethan, who was 15 at the time, killed four students and injured seven others. He is serving life in prison without parole

  • He shot dead Tate Myre, 16; Hana St Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17.

  • His mother and father were both found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter - one for each victim who died

  • Prosecutors said the Crumbleys failed to spot warning signs in their son, and had bought him the weapon he used

Live Reporting

Edited by Tiffany Wertheimer and Brandon Livesay

  1. Who were the four students killed in the attack?

    A memorial for Hana St Juliana

    Hana St Juliana, 14, was kind and always checked in on others, her parents said

    Four students were killed at Oxford High School in 2021 when 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire.

    They were Tate Myre, 16, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Hana St Juliana, 14, and Justin Shilling, 17.

    Hana was the youngest of the victims. "She was always laughing, always causing people to laugh," her father, Steve St Juliana, told the BBC at their family home in Ortonville, Michigan late last year.

    "Every day without her really is a new struggle. She was the heart and soul of the family."

    Seven others, including a teacher, were wounded.

    Read more here.

  2. What is the case against the parents?

    A composite image of Jennifer Crumbley and James Crumbley, both appearing in courtDetroit Free Press/Reuters

    James and Jennifer Crumbley bought the weapon their son used just days before the deadly shooting.

    In two trials, prosecutors accused them both of ignoring warning signs about the potential danger Ethan posed, and of being negligent by allowing him to have a gun.

    In separate trials, they were both found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of the students their son murdered.

    Today’s sentencing is expected to include statements from the victim's families. While each charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, the sentences are likely to be served concurrently.

  3. What happened in the 2021 attack?

    Stuffed bears and flowers are gathered at a makeshift memorial outside of Oxford High School on December 01, 2021 in Oxford, Michigan.Getty Images

    James and Jennifer Crumbley’s son Ethan was 15 when he shot and killed four fellow students with a semi-automatic handgun at Oxford High School in 2021.

    The students he killed were Tate Myre, 16; Hana St Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven others were also wounded in the attack.

    Ethan Crumbley is now serving life in prison without parole.

  4. Welcome to our live coverage

    The parents of a Michigan teenager who shot dead four fellow students will be sentenced today, marking the end of a landmark criminal case in the US.

    James and Jennifer Crumbley were both found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year, and each face up to 15 years in prison.

    Jurors found they ignored their son, Ethan's mental health needs and bought him the gun he used in the attack in 2021.

    It is the first time in US legal history that the parents of a child who carried out a mass shooting have been held liable.

    Stay with us as we bring you live updates from the sentencing in Oakland County, Michigan.