Police photos of Ethan Crumbley and his parents Jennifer and James after the 2021 shooting. Photo: Orlando County Sheriff's Office/via Reuters
The mother of a teenage school shooter went on trial Tuesday on manslaughter charges in a first-of-its-kind case.
Jennifer Crumbley and her husband James are accused of giving his son Ethan a semi-automatic pistol and ignoring warnings about his mental health in the days before he went on a deadly rampage three years ago.
Ethan Crumbley, then 15 years old , killed four students and wounded seven more. when he opened fire at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.
He was sentenced to life in prison in December 2023 at age 17 after pleading guilty to murder, terrorism and other crimes.
Prosecutors alleged his parents failed to retrieve the gun he used to commit an attack, and refused to give him a ride home when confronted with his violent drawings on the day of the school shooting.
The landmark case marks the first time prosecutors have attempted to hold parents criminally responsible for a premeditated mass shooting carried out by their children. child.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were charged after they were found in Detroit. Photo: Paul Sancia/AP
Mrs Crumbley has pleaded not guilty, as has her husband, who faces the same charges and is due to stand trial in March 2024. has been in jail for more than two years awaiting trial, unable to post $500,000 (£394,850) bail each.
Their lawyers say there is no indication that they the son was capable of such violence, and the charges amount to trying to fit “a square peg in a round hole.”
Crumbley, 47, bought his son a semi-automatic pistol four days before the shooting, which Ethan called “my new beauty.” “.
State law prohibits anyone under 18 from purchasing or possessing it. firearms, except in limited circumstances, such as hunting with a license and adult supervision.
After Mr. Crumbley purchased the firearm, his 45-year-old wife took their son to a local shooting range. On Instagram, she described the event as a “mum and son day.”
The day before the attack, the school told Mrs Crumbley that her son had been looking at ammunition on his phone. “LOL I’m not mad at you,” she wrote to him. “You must learn not to get caught.”
Ethan's teacher contacted his parents when they found these photos. drawings on his desk hours before the shooting
The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley were called to school after their son drew violent images during a math assignment with the caption: “Thoughts won't stop. Help me.”
Investigators said his parents were told to seek counseling, but they refused to pick him up from school and left less than 30 minutes later.
Using a gun, Ethan then carried out the worst school shooting in Michigan history.
His parents were charged days after they were found hiding in a building in Detroit.
“This tragedy could have been prevented if the shooter's parents had not played a central role in acquiring the gun for the shooter, or if his parents had taken basic steps to safely store the gun,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy for the nonprofit. combating gun violence Everytown for Gun Safety. “They must be held accountable.”
Manslaughter in Michigan carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
James and Jennifer Crumbley have been in custody for two years because they cannot afford bail
“After every school shooting, the media and victims are quick to point out the so-called 'red flags' that those in the shooter's life missed,” attorneys Shannon Smith and Marielle Lehman previously said in an unsuccessful bid to get the Michigan Supreme Court to overturn accusations.
“But the truth is that it is impossible to predict what the consequences will be.” unimaginable.”
Also on Tuesday, an “armed and dangerous” suspect wanted in eight murders in Illinois died after he shot himself following a standoff with U.S. Marshals in Texas.
Romeo Nance, a 23-year-old man, was tracked down near Natalia, near San Antonio, after a manhunt that began hundreds of miles away Sunday.
He has been named a suspect in seven fatal shootings in two houses in Joliet, about 35 years. miles southwest of Chicago. Police believe he was also responsible for another murder before leaving the area.
The motive for the murder has not yet been established.
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