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Historic trial: Ethan Crumbley's mother faces manslaughter charges in mass shooting by her son

For the first time in history, the parents of a minor could be charged in this type of case. Prosecutors claim that the parents were "grossly negligent."

Juicio histórico: la madre de Ethan Crumbley enfrenta cargos de homicidio involuntario por el tiroteo masivo ejecutado por su hijo

Captura de video FOX 2 Detroit / Youtube -

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

For the first time in history, a trial is being held against the parents of a minor who committed a mass shooting. James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of 17-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who killed four students at a Michigan school in 2021, are being charged with involuntary manslaughter for the murders carried out by their son.

Both have been in prison for more than two years and are awaiting trial for not being able to pay the $500,000 bail. Their son, Ethan (who was 15 at the time of the shooting), was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder, terrorism and other crimes.

The first trial initiated is that of the mother. The father's trial will begin on March 5. Both face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The Crumbleys were 'grossly negligent'

Prosecutors are not accusing the parents of having prior knowledge of the planned shooting committed by their son, rather the prosecution maintains that they were "grossly negligent" in buying the gun that their son used to carry out the massacre four days before the attack. The charge also relates to their ignorance regarding issues related to the child’s mental health and their refusal to take him out of school when they were shown disturbing and violent drawings made by Ethan at school on the same day of the shooting.

Deputy District Attorney Marc Keast stated:

The two people in the world that had all of the information, all the background to put this drawing into context, were James and Jennifer Crumbley ... They didn't say anything ... Despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis, despite her knowledge of his growing social isolation, despite the fact that it’s illegal for a 15-year-old to walk into a gun store and walk out with a handgun by himself, this gun was gifted.

In the trial, more hypotheses have emerged about the development of the events. The Oakland County sheriff's detective commented that Jennifer had an "odd" reaction when told about the deaths and injuries at Oxford High School:

I found it odd…her choice of the word ‘suffer’ was odd to me, talking about her son.

Despite this, Jennifer's attorney, Shannon Smith, stated that the defendant was manipulated by her son and claimed that Jennifer is a "a hyper-vigilant mother, who cared more about her son than anything in the world."

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