you're one one you're one ♪ ♪ you're one right answer you're one less question ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> byron: tonight, crumbley sentenced. the parents of school shooter ethan crumbley confronted in court by the anguished families

of those he killed. >> it doesn't appear either of you cherished or even wanted your son. >> the scathing word by the judge. >> repeatedly ignoring things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand up. >> byron: will this change the way other parents can be held responsible? lebron's home court. the beginning of the superstar's legacy in an exclusive tour of the special museum curated by his mother. >> it's surreal. it brings back a lot of memories. >> byron: the feelings she says she had about her only child. >> when did you know, this guy has some greatness in him? families of the hostages taken by hamas. >> the fact that we've gotten to the six-month mark is really an emblem of failure for all of humanity. >> byron: we check in again with the parents of hersh go poland, last seen injured and taken by hamas at the music festival on

october 7th. >> millions of people advocating for these hostages, they're counting on us. >> byron: what the families say needs to happen to bring them home. plus -- >> let's get out of here. >> byron: lady gaga returns to the big screen in "joker 2." (hamlet) it's beggin'! smoky beggin'... meaty beggin'... tasty beggin'... beggin'!!! oh, i love you... (vo) dogs go bonkers for beggin'! and try new beggin' flavor stix. (hamlet) stix! can neuriva support your brain health? mary, janet, hey!! (thinking: eddie, no frasier, frank... frank?) fred! how are you?! fred... fuel up to 7 brain health indicators, including your memory. join the neuriva brain health challenge. you're not alone. rent is up, and every family outing costs an arm and a leg. well, we want to help. so when prices go up, we find new ways to go low.

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>> byron: good evening. thank you for joining us. today in michigan, the parents of school shooter ethan crumbley were sentenced after the historic judgment that found them criminally liable in their son's deadly rampage. the pain in the courtroom palpable as parents and siblings whose loved ones were killed that day in november 2021 were allowed to address the court and james and jennifer crumbley. here's abc's trevor ault. >> you failed as parents. the punishment that you face will never be enough. >> reporter: in a michigan courtroom, anguished parents speaking directly to the parents of their child's killer. >> it is devastating and heartbreaking that it doesn't appear that either of you cherished or even wanted your son. but i wholeheartedly wanted and cherished mine. >> reporter: jennifer and james crumbley, the first parents in

the nation held criminally responsible for their son ethan's school shooting, today sentenced by a judge. >> these convictions are not about poor parenting. these convictions confirm repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train. >> reporter: the crumbleys each receiving 10 to 15 years in prison, the maximum requested by prosecutors and victims' families. >> we were good parents. we were the average family. we weren't perfect, but we loved our son and each other tremendously. >> my heart is really broken for everybody involved. i understand my words are not going to bring any comfort. >> reporter: in two separate trials, first jennifer, then james, they were found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. one for each of their son's four shooting victims. oxford high school students

madisyn baldwin, tate mere, hanna sent julianna, justin shilling. ethan crumbley was 15 when he used a gun purchased by his parents to carry out the deadliest school shooting in michigan's history in 2021. >> i am a really bad person. i have done terrible things that no one should ever do. >> reporter: ethan later pleaded guilty to killing his four classmates and was sentenced to life without parole. jennifer's trial began in january. >> jennifer crumbley didn't pull the trigger that day, but she is responsible for those deaths. >> reporter: prosecutors ticking through the many opportunities they say she had to prevent the deadly shooting. >> that's what this case is about. it's about jennifer crumbley's willful disregard of the danger that she knew of. >> reporter: painting a picture what was they claimed was a negligent mother more consumed with horses and extramarital affairs than her son's deteriorating mental health. in journal entries shown in court, ethan wrote, "i have zero help for my mental problems, and it's causing me to shoot up the

school." and "i want help but my parents don't listen to me, so i can't get my help." the defense countered jennifer was like any other busy mom and the blame laid elsewhere. >> she's not a perfect person or a perfect parent. >> reporter: jennifer taking the stand in her own defense, saying before the shooting she had no reason to believe her son was dangerous. >> of course, i look back after this all happened, and i've asked myself if i would have done anything differently. and i wouldn't have. i wish he would have killed us instead. >> reporter: surveillance video played in court shows both crumbleys at the school for a meeting with their son and a counselor after a teacher discovered ethan's disturbing drawings. that meeting lasting just 11 minutes. no one checking the shooter's backpack for a gun. within hours, eith that would open fire at the school. james crumbley calling 911 when he discovered the handgun he'd bought for ethan was missing.

>> i think my son took the gun. i don't know if it's him, i don't know what's going on. i'm really freaking out. >> reporter: at his trial, james' attorney argued he couldn't have known ethan was a danger to anyone until it was too late. today, james and jennifer nearly emotionless as the judge announced their sentences. >> this tragedy was avoidable. >> i believe your actions cannot be confined to the word "failure." your mistakes created an everlasting nightmare. >> byron: our thanks to trevor. we turn to a story about parents who love and love well. lebron james is among the greatest basketball players of all-time. like many, his roots are humble. the single mother who raised the future legend so proud, she helped open a museum in his honor. here's abc's demarco morgan. >> emphatic right hand!

>> lebron james, like he came down from pluto. >> reporter: he's a four-time champion, a four-time mvp, and 20-time nba all-star. one of the world's greatest. >> we're experiencing history every time this guy steps on the floor. >> reporter: but what does it take to build a legacy on and off the court? to figure that out, we went to the source, gloria james, lebron's mother, for a tour inside a museum of lebron memories and memorabilia in his hometown of akron, ohio, called "lebron james' home court." >> i think that's important for everybody to understand. to feel like they were a part of lebron's journey. >> reporter: gloria james curated this immersive one-of-a-kind experience starting with the recreation of their spring hill apartment, number 602. just about every black family knows about this lamp right here. you see it. >> the spider lamp. >> reporter: a sanctuary of

safety, stability, and love for a young mother raising her son and brother. what does this place bring back? any type of memories for you? >> it's surreal. it brings back a lot of memories. good memories. it's one of the first places that we were able to call home after a long time of home displacement. >> reporter: this wasn't an easy road for you? >> absolutely not. there were a lot of challenges. i was a young mother. i was also raising my 10-year-old brother. springhill, apartment 602, it brought a sense of security and safety. >> reporter: filled with everything from preserved childhood trophies to plaques, family photos, his favorite magazines, and even his actual tv. >> his favorite two shows were bart simpson and martin.

and i got so tired of watching, i had to get another tv. >> reporter: lebron didn't skyrocket to stardom by just watching shows. he became the event. when did you know, this guy has some greatness in him? this is different? >> i really felt like lebron was different in my belly. junior high school to high school, he just confirmed it. >> reporter: this green and gold decked-out exhibit a tribute to his alma mater, high school. >> these were considered the fab five. >> reporter: the floor is here. the same exact hardwood that would serve as the launching pad to superstardom. >> the cleveland cavaliers select lebron james. >> reporter: the real-life legendary white draft suit just

one of the iconic items on display. >> couldn't tell that brother nothing that night. cleaner than the board of health, that's what they say. >> reporter: along with lebron-like nba locker rooms all filled with authentic jerseys, memorabilia, and an endless wall of game-worn signature shoes. and a tribute honoring the 2016 cavaliers, who delivered cleveland's first professional sports championship in the last 50 years. >> cleveland! this is for you! >> reporter: while the 39-year-old continues to rewrite nba history, it's the future here in akron that will define his legacy for generations to come. what do you think his legacy will be? >> the works that he's done off the court. for the community. our i promise school. i see how hopeful it is to the children. it's something that's going to

be lifelong. >> reporter: what do you want lebron to always remember? >> to always stay true to himself. and his mother loves him. and to remain humble. remember your beginnings. it creates a better story. the real story. >> byron: our thanks to dimarco. when we return, words of hope and strength from the parents of hersh goldberg polin, one of the hostages taken by hamas. if you're living with hiv, imagine being good to go without daily hiv pills. good to go off the grid. good to go nonstop. with cabenuva, there's no pausing for daily hiv pills. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. it's two injections from a healthcare provider. just 6 times a year. don't receive cabenuva

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>> byron: welcome back. earlier today in washington, families of eight american hostages met with vice president kamala harris and others in the biden administration. together, they voiced their agony and pain. six months have passed since their loved ones were kidnapped by hamas during the october 7th terrorist attack, and no deal has yet been reached for their release. this sunday, six months after that attack, i spoke with the parents of hersh goldberg-polin, the 23-year-old israeli american hostage, as they continue holding on to hope for their son's safe return. rachel goldberg and john polin, welcome back to "nightline." i want to listen to what's on your heart and what you want people to know now. >> i'd start with the obvious. 184 days is just way too many. and on day 40-something, some reporter said to us, "what if i

gets to day 100? what will you do?" we thought, that's crazy, there's no way this saga is going to get to 100 days. so to be on day 184 is just -- it's enough. we need to bring these hostages home. >> we really are trapped in october 7th. and the numbers change, but we kind of have no idea what the date is. and the fact that we've gotten to the six-month mark is really an emblem of failure for all of humanity. >> could you take us back to october 7th? i believe you were in synagogue, you were at home with the girls. you get a text and your world changes. walk me through. >> we'd been together the night before as a family. 11:00, october 6th, hersh left, kissed each of us, and said, "love you, see you tomorrow." on the 7th, i was up early. air raid sirens started to go off. it was clear there was something going on. rachel showed the two texts you referred to.

the first text, "i love you." the second, "i'm sorry." we knew there was a problem. we sprung into action, trying to figure out where is he? we found a picture from inside of a bomb shelter. later that night, four, including hersh, were taking hostage at gun point. we learned he are's arm had been blown off. >> that video that was released, that was so disturbing. but i would imagine some ways, it was encouraging? because at least the video showed, while hersh was injured, he was alive, got himself in the back of that pickup truck? >> i have said from the beginning, it's a video no person should ever be subjected to with one of their loved ones in it. that being said, within -- knowing what he had gone through for the roughly one hour before, including seeing his best friend killed, losing his arm, he walks on his own two feet, pulls himself onto the truck, in a way

where he looks like he's got composure and some strength. in many ways, seeing it has carried me, maybe us, through for the last 184 days. just wishing him to continue to maintain that composure and that strength. >> byron: anything since then? >> the first hostage release, day 49, it went for a week. of the 100-plus hostages released in that period of time, and we celebrated all of them because we'd gotten to know their families. none of those people released saw hersh, heard his name. we're told good reason to believe he would have gotten medical treatment. we're told, no news is good news. when we're not sharing news with you, consider that a good day. >> byron: you were saying how you deeply appreciate the support and the prayers from around the world and the hugs. it's time for more now, it's time for these folks to come home? >> we are on a team. we're on a team of millions of people around the world fighting for and advocating for these

hostages. i think we can't let our teammates down. they're counting on us. >> there are still eight americans being held hostage. the biden administration has been amazing to this point, and so has congress. both sides of the aisle. this is a nonpartisan issue. nobody wants to see americans held hostage anywhere. but we also really need more action. and we are curious why more leverage is not being used. >> byron: it's 184 days today, even more when this airs. each day this goes on, you add a new number? >> yes. >> byron: you wear these modest tags to reflect that? >> you know this started on day 26, because people kept interviewing us and saying, "how many days has it been?" and it was so painful that i decided, i'm going to wear the

number. and this originated, this idea, because i remember being a little girl and my dad was in the living room with our big, fat tv on. >> announcer: this is an abc news special, the iran crisis, america held hostage. >> he was watching the news. it was "nightline" with ted koppel. >> good evening. day 52. christmas day produced a lot less than hoped for. >> and there were numbers on the screen. and i asked my dad, "what are the numbers for?" and he explained the iran hostage crisis to me. and he explained that every night, the number changes. and i decided on day 26, i said to john, "i'm going to do "nightline," but i'm just going to wear it on my chest. that way, no one has to ask me, because that will be my identity." and very much i feel like

number, it's like a nametag. this is my identity until these people come home. >> byron: if hersh is watching what would you like your son to know? >> my message to hersh continues to be, don't worry about us being worried about you, just focus on yourself. stay strong, as rachel says. we are coming. we are not giving up. and we're going to get you out soon. >> byron: we'll give you the last word. >> well, obviously i would say, i love you, stay strong, survive. >> byron: please know that i and millions around the world keep you in our prayers every day. >> thank you. >> thank you for continuing to care. >> byron: stay strong, survive. day 186. our thanks to john and rachel. prayers for hersh and the others. we'll be right back. and it changed everything. (♪) [silence] (♪) [silence]

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♪ >> byron: finally tonight, lady gaga and joaquin phoenix together on the big screen. the joker is coming back, and this time he's got harley quinn as a coconspirator in the just-dropped trailer for "joker 2." phoenix and lady gaga team up for a twisted romance, heavy on the twisted. the film hits theaters this october. exactly five years after the original "joker." >> i want to see the real you.