Families of Oxford High School shooting victims say more needs to be done after James Crumbley guilty verdict
PONTIAC, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - An hour after James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the families of the victims said the verdict is a step forward to making change, but it is not over.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald held a press conference Thursday with the parents of Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling, and Hana St. Juliana, the four students who were killed on Nov. 30, 2021. Seven others, including a teacher, were injured.
A jury convicted Crumbley of four counts of involuntary manslaughter after a nearly week-long trial. He was accused of not keeping the gun used in the shooting safely stored away and not getting his son the necessary help for his mental health needs. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was also found guilty of the same charges in February.
The Crumbleys' son was sentenced to life in prison in December after pleading guilty to over a dozen charges.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are scheduled for sentencing on April 9.
McDonald called for gun violence prevention, saying "We have a lot more work to do."
"This verdict does not bring back their children, but it does mark a moment of accountability and will hopefully be another step to address and end and prevent gun violence," she said during the press conference. "These parents could have prevented this tragedy that was foreseeable with just the smallest of efforts. They could have prevented the shooting and saved these kids' lives, and prevented the hundreds of kids in the school that day, and all of the members of the Oxford community they have devastated with basic, reasonable, ordinary care."
Victims' families call for change: "People just need to wake up and take action"
Hana's father, Steve St. Juliana, reiterated McDonald's plea for change, saying "These are just the beginning steps."
"There's so much more that absolutely must be done. It's crazy the way that our society is currently reacting to this. Our children are dying on a daily basis in mass murder, and we do very little about it," he said. "We complain about Second Amendment rights, or we say, 'Oh, there's not enough money to put in for mental health issues.' You name it, there will be an argument against it."
"I think people just need to wake up and take action. Stop accepting the excuses. Stop buying the rhetoric. It is not a Democratic or Republican issue, it's non-partisan. Do not accept any excuse from any of the politicians. This needs to be solved, and this needs to be solved now," he later said. "We do not want any other parent to go through what we've gone through."
Buck Myre, Tate's father, said with the convictions of James and Jennifer Crumbley and their son, the school needs to be held accountable next.
"It's time for the school to pony up. It's time to break up that administration country club, and it's time for change because we've got four kids here dead, and nobody wants to take any accountability. That needs to start tomorrow," he said.
Madisyn's mother, Nicole Beausoleil, said she appreciates the friendships she developed with the other parents but wished it was under a different circumstance. Beausoleil said Thursday's verdict is another call to action, reiterating that the focus is now on the school.
"They are going to see these families rise up against it, and we will be here fighting every second for our children because they are not allowed to forget any of them," she said.
Craig Shilling said the verdict was "monumental" and called for the society to set an example for the children.
"We can change, we can push forward, we can get through the difficulties of life together if we try. We can't turn our heads to these kinds of problems that we face today. It's so important to emphasize the necessity of going after and holding those accountable for their insufficiencies," he said. "We have to move forward. We've put much behind us but there's still so much there in front of us."
