Craig Shilling, the father of Justin Shilling, one of the four students killed in the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School, said the guilty verdict for the mother of the shooter was emotional.
“It was a long time coming, but it’s definitely a step toward accountability,” Shilling told reporters outside the courtroom on Tuesday.
Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter and is set to be sentenced on April 9. Each count carries a maximum punishment of up to 15 years in prison, which would run concurrently.
“It’s definitely going to resonate with me for a while,” he said. “It’s not really about winning or losing. It’s about making it apparent that all of this has to stop in society.”
He said parents need to address “things at every level” and there’s “no way to look the other way” now. In the case of Jennifer Crumbley, the father said many things could have stopped the shooting before it started.
“You cannot choose to take your own interests over your child, especially when it comes to mental health and addressing, you know, concerns, the problem. Everything about that was disturbing,” Shilling said.
