Mother of student killed in Oxford High School shooting praises Jennifer Crumbley verdict

The mother of a Michigan student who lost her life in the Oxford High School shooting in November 2021 praised Jennifer Crumbley’s verdict as making “monumental history.”

Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, said in a statement Wednesday: “The verdict proves that accountability is a must.”

“This case especially is important to me as a mother because she didn’t want to take legal responsibility for her child, she took the right away from me to be there for my child for the remainder of my life,” she said. 

A jury found Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of shooter Ethan Crumbley, guilty in an unanimous verdict of four counts of manslaughter — one for each of the students killed — on Tuesday.

The landmark decision marks the first time a parent in the United States has been held criminally responsible for a mass shooting committed by their child.

Beausoleil said the verdict “sets a new precedence to the justice system.”

“I’m so grateful that justice has been served and the jury took the time to look through all the evidence and really assess all the red flags that lead up to that tragic day,” she continued, calling it a “significant step forward.”

“Honestly that is all we can do is to continue to move forward. Move forward knowing that we still have a lifetime of heartbreak,” the mother said. “Madisyn’s voice deserves to be heard. She didn’t get that choice but her legacy remains the forefront of what I am determined to uphold.”

She also thanked the public for remembering the families of the victims killed in the tragedy: Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven others were wounded.

Jennifer Crumbley faces up to 15 years in prison per count and remains held on bond. She will be sentenced April 9.

Her husband, James Crumbley, has also been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial next month.

Her son, Ethan, now 17, pleaded guilty as an adult to murder, terrorism and other crimes and was sentenced in December to life in prison without parole.

A jury foreperson in the trial said on NBC’s “TODAY” show Wednesday that the jury was moved by evidence showing that Crumbley failed to safely secure the gun her son used in the shooting and by journal entries made by the shooter.

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