The parents of a child who killed four people in a school shooting have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors presented evidence of an unsecured gun at home and indifference toward their son Ethan Crumbley's mental health.
Warning: This story contains details that may distress some readers.
Here's how the case unfolded:
The shooting
On November 30, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at Oxford High School in Michigan, leaving four students dead and seven injured.
Surveillance footage showed Ethan Crumbley enter a bathroom and exit again, now armed with a semi-automatic handgun.
He opened fire during a class transition period and was later described as "methodical" as he walked down the hallway and shot into classrooms.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Oxford High School students said a voice came over the intercom to announce an active shooter and they didn't know whether it was a drill.
By 12:51pm, police received their first of more than 100 911 calls. Five minutes later, Ethan was taken into custody.
Students Tate Myre, 16, Hana St Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, all died from the shooting.
Ethan charged
A day later, then-15-year-old Ethan Crumbley was charged.
At the time authorities could offer no motive for the attack, however, prosecutor Karen McDonald said the shootings were premeditated, based in part on a "mountain of digital evidence" collected by police.
After the attack, authorities learned of social media posts about threats of a shooting at the roughly 1,700-student school.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters Ethan's parents were called to the school on Tuesday "for behaviour in the classroom that was concerning".
Ethan was charged as an adult with terrorism causing death, first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, with the possibility of more charges being added as the investigation continued. He was not granted bail.
This was the first time a terrorism charge was used for a school shooting.
His lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.
At the time, Ms McDonald said police were considering charges against the parents.
As USA Today reported: She said responsible gun ownership was crucial to helping stop tragedies, and "those who do not do that should be – and will be – held accountable".
Parents charged
Three days after Ethan was charged, his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were also charged.
The couple seemed to disappear for several hours after the announcement of their charges, prompting authorities to issue a fugitive warrant.
They were scheduled for arraignment on four counts of manslaughter but police had to search for the Crumbleys after the couple's attorney said they had stopped responding to messages.
The Detroit News, identifying the lawyers as Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman, reported the attorneys had told prosecutors the Crumbleys would be turning themselves in but that: "Instead of communicating with us, the prosecutor held a press conference to announce charges."
The prosecutor said Ethan's parents had bought the weapon used in the school shooting as a Christmas gift and ignored warning signs as late as the day of the shooting.
Both Crumbleys pleaded not guilty to the charges and had their bail set at $US500,000.
The warning signs
Leading up to the shooting there were a number of warning signs Ethan's parents ignored.
A teacher saw Ethan Crumbley searching for ammunition on his phone during class and alerted school officials, who left messages for his mother that went unreturned.
In a text message to Ethan his mum wrote: "LOL, I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught."
The morning of the shooting, a teacher discovered a drawing Ethan made depicting a handgun, a bullet and a bleeding figure. The words "Blood everywhere" and "The thoughts won't stop — help me" were also written.
His parents were summoned to the school, where they were instructed to get Ethan into mental health counselling within 48 hours.
They "resisted" the idea of taking their son home from school and did not search his backpack nor ask him about the gun.
That account was later challenged by the parents, who said they did not believe he posed a danger to the school.
In court
The Crumbley parents and Ethan all had their cases heard separately.
Ethan's lawyers doubled down on the not guilty plea on January 26, 2022, where they indicated he would be pleading insanity, ABC News US reported.
However, on October 24, 2022, Ethan withdrew the insanity plea and pleaded guilty to all of his charges. He also admitted during questioning that he used his own money to purchase the gun and claimed it was not locked away on the day of the shooting.
Jennifer and James both held onto their not guilty pleas proceeding to trial.
Jennifer Crumbley's trial finished on February 6, 2024, when she was found guilty of manslaughter.
Prosecutors argued she bore responsibility because she and her husband gave their son a gun and ignored warning signs of violence.
James was similarly found guilty after trial on March 14, 2024, for the same reasons.
The sentencing
Ethan, then aged 17, was sentenced on December 9, 2023, to life in prison without parole.
Before learning his fate, Ethan appeared to apologise and said the toughest penalty was appropriate.
"Any sentence that they ask for, I ask that you do impose it on me," Ethan said.
Jennifer and James were both sentenced to at least 10 years in prison on April 9, 2024, after both spending two years in custody awaiting trial.
In remarks before her sentencing, Jennifer, 46, expressed her "deepest sorrows."
"My husband and I used to say we have the perfect kid. I truly believed that," she said.
"I didn't have a reason to do anything different. This is not something I foresaw."
James, 47, also apologised to the court.
"I am sorry for your loss as a result of what my son did," he said.
"My heart pours out to every single one of you."
