ABC News Studios Announces New Documentary, ‘Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials,’ Exploring Landmark Case of the First Parents in U.S. History to Be Directly Charged for Deaths Caused by Their Child in a Mass Shooting

ABC News Studios announced today “Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials,” a new documentary chronicling the trials of James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of convicted mass shooter Ethan Crumbley, who opened fire at his school, Oxford High School in Michigan, on November 30, 2021, leaving four students — Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Hana St. Juliana — dead and seven individuals wounded. Michigan’s Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald took the historic step of charging each of Crumbley’s parents with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for failing to try to prevent the attack. This timely film follows the more than two-year journey of the unprecedented case, from charges to conviction and culminating in sentencing on April 9, 2024. The hour-long program will delve into the impact the shooting had on the Oxford community and examine a novel approach toward legal accountability that some experts say could prevent future gun violence. “Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials” begins streaming on Thursday, April 18, only on Hulu.

ABC News Studios was granted rare exclusive access inside the prosecutor’s office over the course of two years as McDonald and her team of attorneys crafted their case. The cameras were rolling for key moments during major hearings and private conversations, even going home with McDonald, capturing contemplative moments as she processed the weight of the case. Interviews will include McDonald, assistant prosecuting attorney Marc Keast and chief assistant prosecutor David Williams.

The film also features interviews with those directly impacted by the Crumbley’s crimes, including Steve St. Juliana and Craig Shilling, fathers who both lost children in the school shooting, and Meghan Gregory, whose son, Keegan, was an Oxford student who survived the shooting. Mariell Lehman, James Crumbley’s defense attorney, is also featured in the documentary.

“Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials” is produced for Hulu by ABC News Studios. Cheryl Horner is the executive producer. Jake Lefferman is the supervising producer, and Eileen Murphy is the senior editorial producer. Misha Rezvi, Myles Sorensen and Katie Muldowney are producers, and David Sloan is senior executive producer for ABC News Studios.

About ABC News Studios
ABC News Studios, inspired by ABC News’ trusted reporting, is an award-winning, premium news and documentary original production house and commissioning partner of series and specials. ABC News Studios champions untold and authentic stories driving the cultural zeitgeist spanning true-crime, investigations, pop culture and news-adjacent stories. ABC News Studios’ original titles include critically acclaimed documentaries “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” “Sound of the Police,” “The Lady Bird Diaries” and “Aftershock,” plus the upcoming documentary from director Andrew McCarthy, “BRATS” and popular docuseries and documentaries, including “Killing County,” “Wild Crime,” “Betrayal: The Perfect Husband,” “Daughters of the Cult, ”  “The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump” and “Jelly Roll: Save Me.”

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