PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan jury convicted Jennifer Crumbley of involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday in a groundbreaking trial. This trial determined whether she bore any responsibility in the deaths of four students at Oxford High School in 2021. The prosecution argued that Crumbley was grossly negligent and failed to foresee the violence that her son would commit.
Ethan Crumbley, then 15 years old, opened fire at the school, using a 9 mm handgun that his mother, Jennifer, could have prevented him from having access to. The teen had shown signs of distress, including a macabre drawing and a desperate note in a math assignment, but was allowed to remain in school following a brief meeting with his parents.
Prosecutors accused Jennifer Crumbley of failing to inform the school about the new handgun in the family’s possession, as well as neglecting her son’s mental health needs. The gun had been purchased just four days earlier on Black Friday by his father, James Crumbley. Jennifer had also taken her son to a shooting range that same weekend, where they practiced using the firearm.
In court, Crumbley, 45, claimed she would not have done anything differently but expressed regret that her son did not “kill us instead.” She also denied that he had any mental health issues. Her husband, James Crumbley, 47, is also scheduled for trial in March on the same involuntary manslaughter charges.
Ethan Crumbley, now 17, is serving a life sentence for the murder and terrorism he committed. The son pleaded guilty and prosecutors did not call him as a witness to prove their case against Jennifer Crumbley.
The case is the first of its kind in the U.S., with parents being charged in connection to a mass school shooting committed by their child. James Crumbley’s trial is set to proceed next month.
Throughout the trial, Crumbley claimed that it was her husband’s responsibility to keep track of the gun and that she saw no signs of mental distress in her son. However, a journal found by police revealed that Ethan had felt his parents wouldn’t listen to his pleas for help.
The conviction carries significant implications for future cases involving school shootings and the responsibility of parents in preventing such tragedies.