Oxford High School Shooter Ethan Crumbley’s Dad Labels Himself A ‘Martyr’

James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, declared himself a “martyr” in a prison phone call, during which he threatened prosecutor Karen McDonald and blamed his son’s school for the tragedy.

James vowed to “take down” McDonald and unleash havoc upon his release. Both of Ethan’s parents received sentences of 10 to 15 years, while he received life in prison for his crimes.

In a fiery phone conversation recorded from prison, the Oxford High School shooter’s father, James, absolved himself of any responsibility for his son’s heinous crime while portraying himself as a “martyr.”

During the angry tirade, James criticized the investigation, stating: “I feel like I’m [sic] joined the military and going to fight for my country, you know? I kind of am. I’m fighting for everyone else’s freedom.”

“I kind of feel like a martyr or martra, however you want to pronounce it. If they allow this stupid b-tch to do to us what she’s trying to do based on nothing,” He added about Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “Here’s the thing, she never did any type of investigation before they charged us.”

Most alarming were James’ direct threats aimed at McDonald as he menacingly claimed he would “take her down” and strip her of her law license.

Per Click on Detroit, James boasted about his intentions to wreak havoc upon his release, stating: “When I get out of here, I’m going on a f–king rampage, Karen. Yes, Karen McDonald, your sh-t is going down, you better be f–king scared.”

“Go ahead and record this call,” he taunted. “Send it to Karen McDonald; tell her how James Crumbley is going to f–king take her down.”

“She will not have a law license when I’m done with her. And like I said earlier, Karen McDonald is going to be working at f–king McDonald’s because she ain’t going to be able to get a f–king job anywhere else,” he added.

During the angry phone call from jail, James vehemently denied any responsibility for the tragedy and shifted blame onto the high school for allegedly failing to protect its students.

“They’re trying to blame it all on us; they’re trying to say none of this should have happened because [of] you!” he stated, emphasizing the last word. “It’s so f–king ridiculous. It wasn’t us! It wasn’t us! It was the f–king school!”

He continued to lash out at prosecutor McDonald, hurling insults and threats, calling her an “ignorant” and “uneducated” person.

“She’s going to be f–king sucking on  DC f–king hot rock down in hell soon,” he said. “She’s going to drive me f–king insane in this place.”

James further mentioned that he couldn’t “discuss” his elaborate revenge plans “on the phone because I’ll give away stuff too.”

The angry rants come after James and his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, received sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years in a landmark ruling for their son’s tragic actions at Oxford High School in Michigan, marking the first instance of parents being convicted in a US mass school shooting.

Judge Cheryl Matthews delivered the verdict on Tuesday, emphasizing the gravity of their negligence, stating it could have prevented the catastrophic event.

“These convictions are not about poor parenting; these convictions confirm repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train, about repeatedly ignoring things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand up,” Matthews said.

The judge attributed Jennifer’s glorification of gun ownership and her “dispassionate and apathetic” attitude toward Ethan as contributing factors to the tragedy.

“Each of the defendants’ gross negligence has caused unimaginable suffering to hundreds of others,” the judge added.

In the aftermath of the tragic shooting incident in 2021, Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty to a total of 24 charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism, in October 2022.

When asked by Judge Kwame Rowe if he “knowingly, willfully and deliberately” acted with intent in shooting his fellow students, Ethan nodded in affirmation and replied, “Yes.” The judge accepted Ethan’s plea and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

In a solemn moment before receiving his sentence, Ethan expressed remorse for his actions and concurred with his victims’ desire for justice.

“Any sentence that they ask for, I ask that you do impose it on me,” he said.

He continued: “I want them to be happy, and I want them to feel secure and safe. I do not want them to worry another day. I really am sorry for what I’ve done. … But I can try my best in the future to help other people, and that is what I will do.”