Crumbley Parents 'Excessive' Sentence In School Shooting Case Sets Precedent: Criminal Defense Atty

5 months ago

Jennifer and James Crumbley— the parents of school shooter Ethan Crumbley, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years for involuntary manslaughter after the November 2021 Michigan mass shooting. Criminal defense attorney Silva Megerditchian joins Brittany Lewis on "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss.

Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/caileygleeson/2024/04/09/michigan-school-shooter-ethan-crumbleys-parents-get-10-to-15-years-in-prison/

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Transcript

00:00Mhm. Hi everybody. I'm B

00:05breaking news. Joining me

00:07attorney Silva Maggard it

00:10so much for joining me. B

00:14news this week. Jennifer

00:17the parents of school sho

00:19were sentenced to 10 to 1

00:22manslaughter after the No

00:25mass shooting. First, befo

00:28the conversation. What's

00:30the sentence? Oh Britney,

00:34a little bit only because

00:36time that parents have be

00:39liable for what their chi

00:42sense. Was I shocked? I'm

00:46I wasn't shocked to the v

00:48shocked to the judge's se

00:52is two reasons for that.

00:56focus on this case was hu

00:59the judge felt comfortabl

01:02than 15 years because the

01:05were watching. The second

01:09case is a little bit exce

01:12where a child's prize for

01:17ignored. And I feel like

01:21absolutely wanted to send

01:25your child seems distresse

01:29health issues, lock your

01:33safe and the child doesn'

01:37I think because of those

01:40necessarily shock me, but

01:43shocked at the harshness

01:45the parents. Ethan Crumbl

01:49found guilty in december.

01:54actions. Why then this ve

01:57for his parents? You know

02:01it's a few reasons. The e

02:03this case is how much the

02:07signals. We know that Eth

02:10to life without parole. B

02:14a child's cries are ignor

02:18was telling his parents,

02:20right? Seeing demons, see

02:25parent wants to believe t

02:28mental health treatment.

02:31No parent wants to believe

02:33is going to kill anybody,

02:36a school. And I think the

02:41with the fact that this b

02:44the murders. They wanted

02:47parents who ignored legit

02:51help, ignoring the mental

02:56I feel like no matter wha

02:58child were given interven

03:02think this child would ha

03:05another question. If this

03:09easy access to a weapon,

03:13been able to commit the l

03:17he did at the school, kno

03:20I think people wanted mor

03:25because every single pers

03:27case is going to have a h

03:31crumblies almost now are

03:34the judge really threw th

03:37to 15 year sentence. What

03:40that sentence is sending?

03:43because the prosecutor ha

03:46the sentencing saying tha

03:48case and it doesn't open

03:52a defense attorney who de

03:54cases. I am worried. I do

03:57a very big lesson and a w

04:03which is number one. If y

04:05the home, you make sure i

04:08I don't think it restrict

04:10capacity. It's saying tha

04:14child is interested in gu

04:16is locked safely away, wh

04:19it was not. The second th

04:22has definitive mental hea

04:26statements, troubling ill

04:29messages asking for help.

04:33that. You need to get hel

04:37again, if it's essentially

04:39a child who is really vio

04:44or is living almost in th

04:48like a mythical world of

04:51you don't give him a gun.

04:55gave him a gun a few days

04:58It is very distinctive fa

05:01they can be easily used i

05:05good, good families who b

05:08could never do this. Does

05:12you cannot ignore those w

05:16you said, Ethan Crumbly h

05:19a gun. His family gave it

05:22I believe. Also those trou

05:25was crying out for help.

05:28ignored 10 to 15 years. T

05:31Do you think in your opin

05:34fit the crime? Oh, that's

05:37I think. Okay, I'm gonna

05:40the punishment fits the c

05:43to the public's need for

05:47I don't think anybody can

05:52did enough and I don't th

05:54that the parents were reas

05:57to their sons issues. I d

06:02as an attorney, as a defen

06:05juvenile matters, I do th

06:08a little excessive. I don

06:11and I want to be clear by

06:13have a very difficult job

06:16to the public. They are p

06:20if this judge gave the pa

06:24than 10 years, I do think

06:27an excessive backlash bec

06:31this case was and how man

06:35So do I think it was exce

06:38I do. If I were the judge

06:41given such a harsh sentenc

06:44it all. Brittany, I under

06:48the parents ultimately fo

06:51holding them responsible

06:54you think that this sets

06:56if so, what is that prece

07:01I do. I feel like the pro

07:04isn't precedent because i

07:07case. But I actually do t

07:10the door. And I think espe

07:12shootings where there is

07:18response from the public

07:22this country is fed up wi

07:24not feeling safe at schoo

07:27used to be the safe haven

07:29up, we never anticipated.

07:33The only thing we were af

07:35war from Russia. Things h

07:39And because of that, I do

07:42a school shooting case, I

07:46in any state is going to

07:49dynamic. What was happeni

07:53the parents knew what the

07:57the accessibility of that

08:01if the weapon is not safe

08:05parents will be liable in

08:08their child's actions. I

08:11is an exceptional case. A

08:13about. There are exceptio

08:16But as a defense attorney

08:19way as a sort of slippery

08:23I think when you, I espe

08:26it is a case that attracts

08:29the media attention. I ca

08:32into other aspects, but I

08:36that every school shootin

08:40it, there will be examinat

08:43actions. And I think that

08:48know, I don't know, I don

08:50to extend to a child, let

08:52know, taking a knife into

08:55other Children. There are

08:58ways. I would be surprised

09:03into other aspects. But a

09:07a door that we've never h

09:10I think the other issue t

09:13right now, school shootin

09:15parents feel safe to send

09:18to school, I do think the

09:20a natural consequence of

09:24decides to, you know, do

09:28going to face the consequ

09:31here obviously are facing

09:33Do you think this sentenc

09:36an effective way of deteri

09:39and gun violence coming f

09:44I'm hoping that maybe par

09:46bit more attentive to a c

09:50Um, I don't think Childre

09:53sentence one way or anothe

09:56a child who, you know, I t

09:59agree. A child who goes i

10:01to hurt has a lot of issu

10:05a child and their short w

10:08not going to affect their

10:10hoping that parents might

10:12careful if they find a dr

10:16If they get text message

10:19mom, I don't know what I'

10:22I think all of that toget

10:26and handled in a reasonabl

10:31I think that's really wha

10:33to show parents. And you'

10:37position because you're a

10:40on juveniles in your posi

10:43then when we're talking a

10:46from the national dialogu

10:50say, Brittany, it goes to

10:54mental health policies in

10:58under the age of 18. The

11:01not enough. We need thera

11:05and psychiatrists who are

11:08a child's brain and a chi

11:13you know, someone like Et

11:15a lot of negative imagery

11:18in this way. We have to h

11:22and an open dialogue abou

11:26You know, for me, 90% of

11:30come from extreme trauma.

11:33They've had parents die y

11:37Children of addiction. An

11:40D. C. F. S. Or Child Prote

11:45they don't understand the

11:47therapy for a young child

11:51trauma. They don't have t

11:55at 14 years old. What happ

11:59need to have a deeper disc

12:01the child, it's too late.

12:05them in a therapeutic envi

12:07a psychiatrist ready. But

12:10hired because a crime has

12:13you imagine if that child

12:16when the trauma occurred?

12:18is too young, you wait ti

12:21conceptually and put them

12:24their fears and anxiety a

12:28swept under the rug. Ther

12:31who are able to handle tr

12:34They really need more tha

12:37can give. They need someo

12:41to understand, diagnose a

12:44we do that, we're going t

12:48And that I think is what

12:50this case is. And do you

12:55really putting bad parent

12:59Brittany, I think there's

13:01bad parenting and essentia

13:05dangerous parenting, righ

13:08of warning signs are not

13:11completely almost forgott

13:17always say there's no man

13:19I feel like maturity of p

13:22to be the best they can.

13:25So many Children have the

13:28lives and personalities t

13:30even understand on social

13:33parents understand how imp

13:36also to monitor those soc

13:40their child is okay, you

13:43or not saying scary thing

13:47I think society needs to

13:50at the same time, let the

13:54your child is having issu

13:58There has to be things th

14:01tragedy. And by the way,

14:04only just killing other p

14:07a high suicide rate of Ch

14:09of 18. No parent should h

14:13I think schools have to b

14:15when they see a child in

14:17to spend them for three w

14:20put them in therapy for t

14:22honestly, let's change th

14:26slapping the wrist and mo

14:29treating. And I think onc

14:33And you know, again, peop

14:36can't forget that either

14:39lost their lives and it b

14:43parent should have to go

14:46a really, really just hea

14:49all around. Silva, thank

14:51in providing your insight

14:55can join me again soon. I

14:58Thank you, Brittany for e

14:59something that we should

Crumbley Parents 'Excessive' Sentence In School Shooting Case Sets Precedent: Criminal Defense Atty

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