(ReliableNews.org) – Ethan Crumbley is serving life in prison for the November 2021 Oxford High School shooting that killed four students in Michigan. Authorities also charged his parents with involuntary manslaughter, marking the first time parents were charged for school shootings carried out by their children. Jennifer Crumbley went on trial first, and the verdict has been handed down.
On February 6, a Michigan jury deliberated for 11 hours. They ultimately convicted Mrs. Crumbley of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin, 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, and 17-year-old Justin Shilling. According to prosecutors and witness testimony, Jennifer and James Crumbley bought their son the gun he used in the shooting. On the morning of the murders, the school contacted the parents to discuss violent drawings Ethan created on an assignment paper.
When the Crumbleys met with officials, they were presented with the drawing, which included the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. The world is dead. My life is useless.”
Instead of taking their son home, the Crumbleys left him in school. They also didn’t tell officials that their son had access to a firearm. He carried out the school shooting on the same day.
During her trial, Crumbley tried to blame school officials for the shooting. She claimed the administration should have done more, like search him. Officials maintained they had no reason to search the student.
Legal experts say the case creates a new precedent for authorities to deal with school shootings. Others think the case was unique because the evidence against Mrs. Crumbley was very compelling. Detroit attorney Margaret Raben told The Associated Press, “a lot of people were alarmed at the way [Mrs. Crumbley] was parenting [her] kid — or not parenting” him.
James Crumbley is also facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. He goes to trial in March, and Jennifer Crumbley will be sentenced in April.
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