Audio recordings of Michigan school shooter's dad James Crumbley vowing revenge on prosecutors released

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

OXFORD, MICHIGAN: Audio recordings of James Crumbley have been widely circulated in the media, wherein he vows revenge against a prosecutor who filed manslaughter charges. 

These charges stem from the actions of James' son, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who fatally shot four fellow students on November 30, 2021, as per Daily Mail.

Consequently, both parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were arrested and are currently facing manslaughter charges. On April 10, the parents were sentenced to 10-15 years in prison after the judge criticized their parenting as inadequate.

What did James Crumbley claim in the recorded audio during jailhouse?

The prosecution released its presentencing report and included the threatening jail calls made by James Crumbley while he was behind bars awaiting his trial. The phone calls include several threats against Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

According to Daily Mail, the audio featuring James Crumbley recorded him saying, “Karen McDonald, you are going down. Yeah you stupid b*****s at the f*****g jail, go ahead record this call, send it to Karen McDonald."

He continued, "'Tell her how James Crumbley is going to f*****g take her down. She will not have a law license when I get done with her.'Karen McDonald will be working at f*****g McDonalds, cause she ain't gonna be able to get a job anywhere else.”

In another audio, James Crumbley claimed, “She's really got it coming to her when I f*****g get out. Your ass is going down and you better be f*****g scared.”

The other audio continued, “You know what, three months from now it is going down, when I get out of here I am on a rampage Karen.'Yes Karen McDonald your ass is going down and you better be scared.”

It remains unclear who James was speaking to during the recorded phone call.

An investigator at the Oakland County Sheriff's Office stated, "Upon reviewing most of the message contents, it appears that Mr. Crumbley primarily complains about court proceedings and strategies, expressing intentions to prevail in court and undermine Karen McDonald's reputation publicly."

Following a request from a police report, the sheriff's office was tasked with investigating the alleged 'harassment and threatening' phone calls. The mention of these calls on the first day of Crumbley's trial led to a disruption in the courtroom, resulting in the jury being dismissed for the day.

Prosecutors talked about James Crumbley's phone calls from jail, but his lawyer didn't want them to be made public.

During his sentencing, they talked about the phone calls again, and the prosecutors said they deserved a harsher punishment.

While handing down the sentence, Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews agreed and told James Crumbley that he "threatened the wellbeing of the prosecutor."

Ethan Crumbley sentenced to life without parole for killing 4 schoolmates

Crumbley's son Ethan, who was 15 years old at the time, shot and killed Hana St Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Justin Shilling at a school in Oxford, Michigan.

Ethan Crumbley got life in prison without parole for the murders.

Crumbley and his wife Jennifer were convicted in separate trials this year. The juries found they ignored Ethan's cries for help and got him a gun.

They'll serve their sentences minus the time they've already served, and they can't contact the families of the victims.

They're the first parents in the US held responsible for a child's mass school attack.

Prosecutor Karen McDonald said James Crumbley ignored signs that his son needed help and didn't store the gun safely.

She showed the jury texts Ethan sent to a friend and journal entries he wrote before the shooting. He talked about needing help but didn't want to upset his parents.

Defense lawyer Mariell Lehman argued that Crumbley couldn't have known his son would do a mass shooting.

Crumbley and Ethan bought a Siguer 9 mm handgun together over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021. 

Ethan called it his "new beauty" on social media, and his mom said it was a Christmas present and took him to a shooting range.

Four days after they bought the gun, they went to Ethan's school to talk about a violent picture he drew. It had phrases like "The thoughts won't stop. Help me." and a gun that looked like the Sig Sauer.

They didn't take him home, and no one checked his backpack for a gun. The shooting happened later that day.

Before he was sentenced, James Crumbley said he was heartbroken for everyone involved, and he said claims that he didn't feel bad for what happened weren't true. He said the pain and loss would never go away.

Internet reacts

After the internet learned about James Crumbley's decision to take revenge on the prosecutor who charged him with manslaughter, many people rushed to the comment section to share their perspectives as Daily Mail, reported.

One user claimed, “Absolutely no remorse. They ran and left their child only thinking of themselves. I love my children. I tried to raise them to be self reliant and respectful. Seems to be a old timer thought now.”

Another claimed, “Actually, everything he says on these calls can be used against him in a court of law. He is informed that every phone call he makes is recorded and the recipient will notice on a cell phone that a little green dot in the upper right hand corner is visible to let them know that they are being recorded and that everything they say is being recorded and can be used as evidence in a trial and lead up to their arrest if they make statements of participation in a crime. On  landlines, the phone call will have a faint beep in the background. This also includes the prisoner/recipient mentioning any money that they provided during the process of the crime. Telephone calls are not a privilege in jail or prison. Family or friends have to deposit money into the inmates' accounts in order for them to call and it's not always cheap depending where you are.”

A user wrote, “It's obvious that he wants a longer sentence, so give it to him.”

Another claimed, “It shows where Ethan got such a vicious mindset.”

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online