By Alex Vena
Published
April 19, 2024, 5:15 p.m. ET
Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials dropped on Hulu Thursday (April 18), just nine days following a verdict being made for its subjects, Jennifer and James Crumbley.
Produced by ABC News Studios, the documentary surrounds the Crumbleys, whose son Ethan Crumbley brought a gun to school on Nov. 30, 2021, killing four fellow students — Hana St. Juliana (14), Justin Shilling (17), Madisyn Badlwin (17), and Tate Myre (16) — at Oxford, Michigan’s Oxford High School, per NBC News. Ethan was 15 at the time.
Never before have two parents been charged in a mass school shooting in the U.S., making their recent trial even more attention-grabbing.
Hulu’s synopsis informs viewers that they will “go behind the scenes of the historic case against the Crumbley parents, charged in connection with their son’s school shooting in Oxford, Michigan.” But where are they now? Here’s what we know about Ethan, Jennifer, and James Crumbley.
Where is Ethan Crumbley?
Ethan, now 17, was formally sentenced to life in prison without parole in December 2023 after pleading guilty in an October 2022 trial to multiple charges, including four counts of first-degree murder and one count of terrorism causing death, per CNN. He is currently in the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer, MI, where he reportedly got in a fight last month with another 17-year-old prisoner, per The Detroit Free Press.
Why were Jennifer and James Crumbley charged?
Reuters reports that James bought Ethan the gun “as a Christmas present” four days prior to the shooting. According to the outlet, prosecutors revealed that Jennifer and James had been called to the school on the morning of the shooting, “after teachers discovered violent messages and drawings on his schoolwork.”
According to PBS NewsHour, one drawing was on a math assignment of Ethan’s, and depicted “a gun and a wounded man” with the following words: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. My life is useless.”
Despite being “told Ethan needed immediate counseling,” they did not take their son home, and also did not search his backpack or question him about the gun, per Reuters.
Where are Jennifer and James Crumbley?
Both Jennifer and James were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in December 2021. While Jennifer was found guilty in February 2024, James was found guilty in a different trial the following month. Both parents were sentenced to 10-15 years in prison on April 9, 2024, per the Detroit Free Press. The trial took place in Pontiac, Michigan.
According to the Associated Press, the two have already been serving jail time for approximately 2 1/2 years, which they will receive credit for, with the chance of parole after 10 years in custody.
Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials is now streaming on Hulu. Watch the trailer above.
