Parents of US school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years in prison

WASHINGTON, United States — The parents of a teenager who carried out a deadly school shooting in the US state of Michigan were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison on Tuesday in an unprecedented and closely watched case.

Jennifer Crumbley and her husband James -- who bought their son the gun as a Christmas present -- were the first parents of a school shooter to be convicted of manslaughter in the United States for the actions of their child.

Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews sentenced them to 10 to 15 years in prison each with credit for the 28 months they have already spent behind bars.

Their son Ethan, who is now 17, is serving a life sentence for the November 30, 2021 shooting which left four students dead and seven other people injured at Oxford High School, 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of Detroit.

"These convictions are not about poor parenting," Matthews said at an emotional hearing in Pontiac, Michigan, attended by relatives of the victims. "These convictions confirm repeated acts, or lack of acts, that could have halted an oncoming runaway train."

The judge admonished James Crumbley for allowing "unfettered access" to guns and ammunition in the family home and told Jennifer Crumbley her attitude towards her son was "dispassionate and apathetic."

Addressing the Crumbleys in court before sentencing, Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, 17, one of the slain students, said: "Not only did your son kill my daughter but you both did as well."

"The blood of our children is on your hands," said Craig Shilling, the father of Justin Shilling, 17.

Steve St. Juliana, the father of another victim, Hana St. Juliana, 14, said her murder "has destroyed a large portion of my very soul."

"I will never walk her down the aisle," St. Juliana said. "I am forever denied the chance to hold her or her future children in my arms."

Before the judge pronounced the sentence, the Crumbleys addressed the families of the victims and the court.

"I stand today not to ask for your forgiveness as I know it may be beyond reach but to express my sincerest apologies for the pain that has been caused," Jennifer Crumbley, 46, said. "I will be in my own internal prison for