The mother of one of Ethan Crumbley’s victims slammed his ruthless parents for refusing to take responsibility for their role in their son’s rampage at the time of his sentencing.
Nicole Beausoleil, whose 17-year-old daughter Madisyn Baldwin was killed along with three other classmates in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting, said the response from the convicted parents was “a slap in the face.”
James and Jennifer Crumbley each received the maximum sentence of up to 15 years for involuntary manslaughter, after they ignored their son’s pleas for help with his mental health before buying him the gun used in the massacre.
The couple apologized to their son’s victims at the sentencing, but also proclaimed that they felt their sentences were unjust, with James stating that “the truth has not been heard.”
Jennifer also sparked reactions by warning that “this could happen to any parent” and that she still loved her murderous son “unconditionally.”
Beausoleil called his response “unacceptable,” and told the Today is the show: “I felt like it was a way to put the blame on someone other than themselves.”
Nicole Beausoleil, whose 17-year-old daughter Madisyn Baldwin was killed in the Oxford High School shooting in 2021, said James and Jennifer Crumbley’s response to the sentencing was “a slap in the face.”
The Crumbleys apologized to the victims’ families, but also stated that ‘the truth has not been heard’ and warned that ‘any parent’ could end up in their situation.
Madisyn Baldwin, 17, died in the massacre along with three other classmates, and seven others were injured when Ethan Crumbley, 15, opened fire at their school.
Beausoleil spoke after delivering a heartbreaking victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing, where he told the parents: “You have shown no remorse or respect toward our family.”
“The words involuntary should not be part of the sentence,” he said.
The grieving mother echoed these comments following her sentencing, feeling that “they have not been held accountable for their actions.”
“There was no remorse, they just said, ‘We thought we had a good boy.'”
Beausoleil added that she was especially offended that James Crumbley addressed her final remarks before sentencing the family of Tate Myre, another of her son’s victims.
“It was just unacceptable,” he said. “It felt like a slap in the face once again, claiming that we were pushing too hard to get the facts… it was kind of embarrassing.”
Beausoleil was one of several victims who read impact statements at the hearing, where she launched an emotional tirade against the parents and listed the ways she was helping their daughter while they ignored their son.
When asked what it was like to finally face the Crumbleys, he said it was a moment of “relief.”
Beausoleil delivered a heartbreaking victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing Tuesday, telling the parents, “You have shown no remorse or respect toward our family.”
The Crumbleys were each sentenced to up to 15 years behind bars, the maximum sentence
Ethan, the couple’s son, was 15 years old when he opened fire on his classmates at Oxford High School in November 2021, killing four and wounding seven others. He is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Madisyn Baldwin, 17 (left) and Hana St Juliana, 14 (right), were killed in the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit.
Justin Shilling, 17 (left) and Tate Myre, 16 (right), also died in the senseless shooting.
“I replayed that day over and over in my head, it’s a constant reminder of the events I went through that day,” he said.
‘I wanted the parents to know exactly how I felt that day, after watching the surveillance video of them and seeing their behavior, the questions they had and what they were worried about, compared to what I was going through.
“It really just shows the difference in parenting, and the difference between a loving mother and a mother who really cares more about herself.”
Although both James and Jennifer apologized to the victims in their sentencing statements, Beausoleil said he did not feel their comments were genuine.
“I felt like it was a way to put the blame on someone other than themselves,” he said.
‘In those statements there was still no responsibility for his actions, there was no remorse.’
Despite their pleas for leniency, the judge went even further than the prosecution’s requests and handed down the maximum possible sentence for both parents, which Beausoliel said he was glad to see as it would “send a message.”
“This sends a message to really listen to your children; there should be accountability for every action we take,” she said.
“And it sends a message to parents everywhere that children come first and should be the priority.”
James Crumbley is seen crying in court on Monday as he and his wife Jennifer received a historic sentence of 10 to 15 years for the 2021 school massacre of their son Ethan.
Jennifer looks at James Crumbley during the sentencing hearing. The couple has been separated for years, asked for their trials to be separated and each spent 27 months in prison since their arrest.
Fifteen years was the maximum sentence available for the former couple, who will have two years deducted from their sentences for time served.
The parents were convicted in separate trials in February.
The Crumbleys’ sentences will last at least 10 years and they will be prohibited from contacting the families of their children’s victims.