Jurors find Michigan shooter's father guilty on 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter

March 14 (UPI) -- A jury on Thursday found James Crumbley guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter Thursday.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict Thursday evening after a nearly weeklong trial to determine if Crumbley, the father of Oxford Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, had any responsibility for his son killing four students in November 2021.

His verdict comes weeks after a jury in February convicted his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, as well. It was the first case in U.S. history where a jury found a parent liable for a shooting done by their child.

James and Jennifer Crumbley will be sentenced on April 9. They both face up to 15 years in prison.

"While we are grateful that James and Jennifer Crumbley were found guilty, we want to be very clear that this is just the beginning of our quest for justice and true accountability," the families of the four slain students said in a statement according to the Detroit Free Press.

"There is so much more that needs to be done to ensure other families in Michigan and across the country don't experience the pain that we feel and we will not stop until real change is made."

Throughout the trial, prosecutors put 15 witnesses on the stand and presented more than 300 pieces of evidence, including the journal in which Ethan Crumbley detailed his plans to commit the shooting and text messages to a friend detailing his poor mental health.

"How many times does this kid have to say it (help me)? He says it in his journal, he says it to his friend," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in her closing argument. "That isn't enough. He writes the words 'Help me' on a piece of paper."

Closing arguments ended Wednesday with no testimony from Crumbley.

Prosecutors also highlighted his father's decision not to take him home from school earlier on the day of the shooting after teachers showed him and his wife a drawing he had done featuring a gun and the words "help me."

"James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did," McDonald said. "James Crumbley is on trial for what he did and what he didn't do."

Crumbley's attorney Mariell Lehman maintained James Crumbley did not know his son posed a threat to others, nor that he knew where he had hidden the handgun with which his son later used in the shooting.

Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to all of his charges and is serving a lifetime prison sentence with no chance of parole.