PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A prosecutor is urging jurors to convict the mother of a Michigan school shooter in a groundbreaking trial that centers on whether she should be held responsible for the deaths of four students. Jennifer Crumbley, 45, and husband James, 47, are charged with involuntary manslaughter after their son, Ethan Crumbley, committed a mass shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. This is the first time parents in the U.S. have been charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald argues the Crumbleys made the gun accessible at home and did not address Ethan’s mental health, creating a compelling case against them. The jury deliberations for Jennifer Crumbley are scheduled to begin Monday, followed by James Crumbley’s trial in March. Ethan, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to murder and is serving a life prison sentence.
Under Michigan law, parents have an obligation to prevent their child from harming or being a risk to others, and McDonald emphasized that this case presents unique and egregious facts that support the charges against Jennifer Crumbley. The prosecutor pointed out that Jennifer Crumbley failed to take appropriate action even when confronted with Ethan’s violent drawing that essentially depicted his planned actions and asked for help.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors focused on key events such as the purchase of a handgun by James Crumbley and a crucial meeting at the school on the morning of the shooting when a teacher discovered a violent drawing on Ethan’s math assignment. They argued that Jennifer Crumbley’s actions, or lack thereof, were significant contributing factors to the tragedy.
In her closing argument, defense attorney Shannon Smith contended that the case sets a dangerous precedent for parents and suggested that the couple couldn’t have foreseen their son’s actions. She accused the prosecution of presenting selective evidence to the jury and asserted that Ethan was a skilled manipulator, not an individual with a mental illness.
The trial has brought to light the devastating impact on the victims’ families and the broader community, with the counselor and school administrator admitting they had urged the parents to get Ethan into mental health care as soon as possible. The tragic consequences of this failure to act have left four students dead and the entire community reeling. The case has raised important questions about parental responsibility and the role of mental health care in preventing future tragedies.