OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald held a press conference alongside the families of the victims following the guilty verdict of James Crumbley.
Jurors found the father of the Oxford High School shooter guilty Thursday (March 14) on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the mass shooting.
McDonald, Metro Detroit leaders, and victims’ families gave remarks at the press conference inside her office at 8 p.m.
“Four children are dead because of the gross negligence of the shooter’s parents. In Michigan, a parent has a legal duty and James Crumbley did not meet that duty. His failure to act led to the deaths of Madisyn, Tate, Hana, and Justin. I know this verdict will not bring them back, but I hope it will serve as an example of the importance of holding those who enable gun violence accountable. My office will continue to seek justice on behalf of all victims of gun violence and champion the common-sense reforms we need to prevent gun violence and end this cycle of tragedy.”
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald
The press conference, which was live-streamed through McDonald’s Facebook page, Local 4+, and our website, saw Hana St. Juliana’s father, Steve St. Juliana, Tate Myre’s father, Buck Myre, Justin Shilling’s father, Craig Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin’s mother Nicole Beausoleil talk about the verdict.
“So first of all, I just want to thank prosecutor McDonald, prosecutor Keast for the marvelous job that they’ve done putting in the long hours them and their team as well as lieutenant Lewis, Brandond and the whole law enforcement team that got us to this point. But we’re not done. As Ms. McDonald said, these are just the beginning steps. There is 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 murders, and we do very little about it. We complain about Second Amendment rights, or we say, ‘There’s not enough money for mental health issues.’ You name it and they’ll be an argument against it. It’s the number one killer of our kids, folks.”
Steve St. Juliana
“First of all, I want to thank Karen, Marc, lieutenant Lewis, and special agent Brandon. We met a couple of folks that did some work behind the scenes. You guys obviously busted your tails, and we appreciate it. This is a deep issue, and it’s not going to be an easy one to solve. And it’s more than the gun. Our kids are not doing well these days. We’re in a mental health crisis. So, the gun is just a tool. So we got to look at a couple of other things other than the gun. We got to see what we can do to support these kids better.”
Buck Myre
“I want to thank everybody that worked on this case. They have really been that peace that’s kind of held us together and really pushed for us and made sure every step we took we kept continuing forward. But I really want to thank the three families that stands with me as this has been a really hard road, and the friendships that I’ve made with these families are friendships that I wish I didn’t have to make the way I did. But these people are some of my best friends, and I thank them more than they will ever know. Yeah, we have a verdict now. We have a guilty verdict for both parents. We have crossed those three lines of getting accountability on that end, but right now, we have a verdict. We have to execute that verdict. We have to plan for change. We have to reinforce it.”
Nicole Beausoleil
“My heart is beating out of my chest. I’m shaking, and I am so nervous to be here and I appreciate all of you for your time here. I really can’t say enough about the importance of what we just went through. It’s a monumental decision, and the verdict was the same. I believe moving forward, It’s very important for us as a society to set the right example for our children and future generations and come together and use our power of thought and our power of emotion. We can push forward, and we can get through the difficulties of life together.”
Craig Shilling
Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, was also found guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter in February, making both parents the first in the nation to be held criminally accountable for the school shooting.
Their son pled guilty to all 24 counts brought against him, including terrorism causing death. He was sentenced last summer after a Miller Hearing to life without parole.
Sentencing for Jennifer and James is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 9.
--> Oxford shooter’s father guilty of manslaughter for role in mass shooting, jury finds