James and Jennnifer Crumbly were convicted for involuntary manslaughter after their son, 15-year-old Ethan, shot to death four students of the Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30, 2021.

Each of the parents were to serve 10 to 15 years in prison, with credit for over two years already served.

Their convictions for involuntary manslaughter, in separate trials weeks earlier, mark the first time parents have been held accountable for their child's actions in a deadly school shooting.

Judge Cheryl Matthews emphasized the decision as a deterrent to other parents.

She noted: "Opportunity knocked over and over again, louder and louder, and was ignored."

The court official criticized the Crumbleys for not responding to the signs leading up to the tragedy, saying,

"No one answered, and these two people should have and sure didn’t."

She added that the convictions underscored "repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train."

During the proceedings, James Crumbley addressed the courtroom, apologizing to the victims of his son's violent rampage. "I want to say I can't imagine the pain and agony...for the families that have lost their children and what they are experiencing and what they are going through," he said.

"As a parent, our biggest fear is losing our child or our children, and to lose a child is unimaginable. My heart is really broken for everybody involved."