The mother of a Michigan school shooting victim said Wednesday that the sentencing of gunman Ethan Crumbley’s parents “sends a message to parents all around.”
Nicole Beausoleil — mother of 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, who was killed in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting — spoke with Savannah Guthrie on the “TODAY“ show about Tuesday’s sentencing of James and Jennifer Crumbley.
The Crumbleys each received 10 to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for what prosecutors say was their gross negligence in helping facilitate their son’s shooting rampage.
“It sends a message to really listen to your children,” Beausoleil said of the sentence. “There should be accountability for every action that we have.”
Beausoleil sat through the majority of the trial, coming face to face with James Crumbley, 47, and Jennifer Crumbley, 46, while delivering her impact statement, which she said provided “almost a sense of relief.”
“I played that day over and over in my head. It’s a constant reminder of the events that I went through that day,” Beausoleil reflected. “I wanted to let the parents know exactly how I felt that day.”
When asked about the apology statements made by both of the Crumbleys, Beausoleil dismissed them as disingenuous.
“I felt like it was a way for them to again, place blame on somebody else versus themselves,” Beausoleil said. “In those statements, there was still no accountability for their actions.”
The Crumbleys’ sentencing marks an American first, as they are the first parents to be charged and convicted on charges related to the mass shooting perpetrated by their child, then 15-year old Ethan Crumbley, who killed four of his classmates.
Ethan Crumbley is currently serving a life sentence.
