PONTIAC, Mich. – Prosecutors are making a groundbreaking case as they urge jurors to convict the mother of the Michigan school shooter. The trial revolves around whether she should be held responsible for the deaths of four students, particularly in light of her son’s violent drawing before the tragedy. Jennifer Crumbley, 45, and her husband, James, 47, are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter. The accusations center on their alleged failure to secure a gun at home and address their son Ethan’s mental health issues. They are the first parents in the U.S. to be charged in connection with a mass school shooting committed by their child.
The trial has culminated in seven days of testimony with the prosecutor, Karen McDonald, delivering the final arguments. She emphasized the significance of the violent drawing and the purchase of a handgun by James Crumbley just days before the school attack. McDonald stressed that under Michigan law, parents have a legal obligation to prevent their child from causing harm to others.
Jennifer Crumbley faces jury deliberations scheduled to begin on Monday after the judge provides the instructions. Meanwhile, her husband, James Crumbley, is set to stand trial in March. Their son, Ethan, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, has already pleaded guilty to the murders and is serving a life prison sentence for killing four students at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.
McDonald’s arguments centered on crucial events such as the firearm purchase and a meeting at the school on the morning of the shooting when a teacher discovered a violent drawing on Ethan’s math assignment. She also pointed out that Jennifer Crumbley had texted her husband about the school’s concerns but didn’t take their son home after the discovery, nor did they inform school staff about the new gun or Ethan’s previous hallucinations.
Defense attorney Shannon Smith, on the other hand, argued that the case poses a dangerous precedent for parents. She emphasized that the actions of the Crumbleys’ son were not foreseeable by his mother. Smith also accused the prosecutors of presenting “cherry-picked” evidence to the jury, highlighting her belief that no one would buy a gun for a child with mental illness.
The trial has shed light on the tragic events at Oxford High School and brought to the forefront the legal and ethical responsibilities of parents in relation to their children’s actions. The jurors’ decision will set a precedent in the ongoing conversation surrounding gun violence and parental accountability.