PONTIAC, Mich. – A Michigan woman is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with an attack at a U.S. school on November 30, 2021, that resulted in the deaths of four students. Jennifer Crumbley, 45, is accused, along with her husband, in what is being described as the first case of a parent being charged in a mass shooting at a U.S. school.
Barry Keast, the prosecutor, argued that the Crumbleys were grossly negligent, emphasizing the teen’s access to a gun in their home and a school meeting held on the day of the shooting. During that meeting, a teacher became alarmed by the teenager’s drawing and a message that read, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.”
Defense attorney Shannon Smith, however, argued that Jennifer Crumbley was manipulated by her son and should not be blamed for the incident. Smith described her client as a “hypervigilant mother who cared more about her son than anything in the world.”
The trial has also seen tensions rise in the courtroom, with a video from a school security camera being played for the jurors. Prosecutor Karen McDonald claimed that Jennifer Crumbley and Smith were “sobbing” in violation of the judge’s request for emotional control during the trial, which Smith denied.
Meanwhile, the couple’s son, Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, has already been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder, terrorism, and other crimes. His parents have been in jail for more than two years awaiting trial and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter.