His mother The 15-year-old who killed four students at a Michigan high school in 2021 was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a landmark ruling on Tuesday, February 6.
A jury unanimously convicted Jennifer Crumbley of all four charges against her, one for each of the four people her son, Ethan, killed at Oxford High School. Crumbley faces up to 60 years in prison, with each count carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years. She remains in custody and will be sentenced on April 9.
Crumbley's attorney did not immediately return calls Rolling rockhis request for comment.
Crumbley's case and conviction were unprecedented, marking the first time a parent has been tried for his alleged role in a school shooting (Crumbley's husband, James, will stand trial on the same charges in March). The Crumbleys were accused of buying the gun Ethan used during the shooting, ignoring his mental health needs and failing to tell the school they had bought a gun for their son during a meeting about his behavior hours before the shooting.
(Ethan previously pleaded guilty on all charges against him, including murder and terrorism. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole last December.)
During the trial, as NBC News He notes, prosecutors tried to portray Crumbley as a neglectful parent, arguing that she was more interested in her hobbies and an extramarital affair than her son. They also claimed that after Ethan bought a semi-automatic handgun just days before the shooting, the Crumbleys didn't bother to properly store it.
The prosecution's case contained a litany of evidence, including text messages and photos from Crumbley's phone, video of the shooting and more than 20 witnesses. Meanwhile, Crumbley herself was the only witness called for the defense. During her testimony, she acknowledged her son had “depression,” but said she didn't think her son needed to see a mental health professional.
“I don't think I'm a failure as a parent” Crumbley said during her testimony, adding that she “wouldn't do” anything differently as a parent either. However, he appeared to express remorse and despair while on the stand, saying: “I wish he had killed us” and “I don't want to say I'm a victim because we don't want to disrespect the families who are really victims in this, but we've lost a lot.” .
Crumbley's attorney, Shannon Smith, also tried to place more blame on others. He claimed that James was responsible for storing the gun and that Ethan's school was quite aware of his struggles but did not provide Crumbley with the proper information. Smith also raised a specter that would set a precedent for a conviction, urging the jury to clear it “not just for Jennifer Crumbley, but for every mother that's out there doing her best, who could easily be in her place”.
Meanwhile, some gun control advocates have heralded the decision. In a statement, Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President of Law and Policy at the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, said: “Today's verdict underscores the important responsibility of parents and gun owners to prevent children from having unsupervised access to deadly weapons. Plain and simple, the fatal shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 should – and could – have been prevented had the Crumbleys not obtained a gun for their 15-year-old son. This decision is an important step forward in ensuring accountability and hopefully preventing future tragedies.”
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