Jennifer Crumbley verdict: Parents of school shooting victims react as killer’s mother is found guilty
A Michigan jury found Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The jury reached its unanimous verdict after 10 hours of deliberation. Ms Crumbley sat in court, unemotionally, as the verdict was read.
She had pleaded not guilty. The 45-year-old’s husband, James Crumbley, is being tried separately in March.
In December, Ethan Crumbley was convicted of killing four of his classmates and injuring seven others on 30 November 2021.
The prosecution has accused her of neglecting her son’s “downward spiral” and making a gun accessible in their home.
The defence rested its case on Friday after the defendant took the stand. Ms Crumbley’s attorney delivered strange closing arguments, in which she compared herself to Ms Crumbley as “messy” working moms.
The prosecution argued that Ms Crumbley could have taken “tragically small” steps that could have prevented her son from shooting up his school. The prosecutors mentioned that the mother bought her son a gun days before the shooting, recognized that he was “acting depressed” and spent a lot of time alone.
The trial has been chock-full of revelations: an extramarital affair, a shocking admission, and a Taylor Swift reference.
She will be sentenced on 9 April.
Key Points
Why is Jennifer Crumbley on trial?
Jennifer Crumbley takes the stand: 'I wish he killed us instead’
Prosecution argues ‘tragically small’ steps could have prevented shooting
Why is Jennifer Crumbley on trial?
Monday 5 February 2024 20:40 , Kelly Rissman
Jennifer Crumbley’s trial is underway while her husband’s trial is scheduled for March; they were asked to be tried separately.
The parents face four counts of involuntary manslaughter, accused of ignoring his mental health condition and making the gun accessible at home.
Four days before the shooting on 30 November 2021, James bought his son a gun, which Ethan described on Instagram as his “new beauty”.
Jennifer then took her son to a shooting range.
A few days later, a teacher noticed the high school sophomore searching online for ammunition, sparking concerned school administrators to contact his parents.
Instead of responding to the school, his mother allegedly texted her son: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
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Their son carried out a school shooting in Michigan. Now they’re on trial, too
ICYMI: A convicted killer asked to leave the courtroom ahead of trial
Monday 5 February 2024 21:00 , Kelly Rissman
A convicted killer and friend of Jennifer Crumbley was removed from the courtroom just before opening statements in Ms Crumbley’s manslaughter trial.
Megan Imirowicz, who was convicted at the age of 19 for killing her father by throwing corrosive lye powder and water onto him in 2021, befriended Ms Crumbley in prison.
Ahead of Thursday’s opening statements in Ms Crumbley’s trial, Oakland County assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said, “It’s come to our attention that one individual who was subpoenaed as a witness is in court today.”
Mr Keast said he was talking about Imirowicz. Shannon Smith, the defence attorney, said, “I don’t even know who Megan Imirowicz is,” while looking around the courtroom.
Imirowicz then seemed to leave the courtroom.
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Jennifer Crumbley’s convicted killer ‘best friend’ is kicked out of trial
Tearful Jennifer Crumbley takes stand in manslaughter trial
Monday 5 February 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman
Laughter but no verdict
Monday 5 February 2024 22:05 , Kelly Rissman
“I know you guys have all had an exciting day,” Judge Cheryl Matthews told the five alternate jurors, who have been sequestered.
She acknowledged it can be “boring” to be in their position. Judge Matthews then said that she noticed one of the alternates was sleeping and others were playing sudoku and completing crosswords, sparking an eruption of laughter.
She then told some of them that they could sequester from home tomorrow and would be called in if one of the 12 jurors needed to be replaced.
Jurors were read instructions this morning and came back with two questions throughout the day — but did not reach a verdict yet.
They will return at 9am tomorrow.
ICYMI: The defence’s argument
Monday 5 February 2024 22:30 , Kelly Rissman
The defence, on the other hand, insisted that her son’s mental condition was “not on her radar”, emphasised her husband’s love of guns, placed blame on the school, and described her as a “hypervigilant” mother.
Defence attorney Shannon Smith then quoted Taylor Swift in her opening statements and used the line “Band-Aids don’t stop bullet holes” from “Bad Blood.”
She said this case was about the prosecution “attempting to put a Band-Aid on problems that can’t be fixed with a Band-Aid”.
“A Band-Aid will never bring back the lives that were lost,” she added.
“Everyone in this courtroom agrees that on 3 November 3 2021, the worst possible thing happened when Ethan Crumbley used a gun and terrorised the Oxford High School.”
She said Ms Crumbley didn’t “have it on her radar in any way that there was any mental disturbance, that her son would ever take a gun into a school, that her son would ever shoot people”.
The defence tried to portray Ms Crumbley as an attentive mother. Evidence will show that Jennifer Crumbley is a “hypervigilant mother who cared more about her son than anything in the world”, her attorney said.
She took Ethan to soccer practice, basketball, and bowling, and even took him to urgent care when a 1mm mole changed colours, the defence said.
Jennifer “didn’t know anything about guns”, the defence said, claiming her husband loved guns, adding that they owned three firearms.
The defence argued that Ms Crumbley was not responsible for the storage of the gun “and not even knowing where the gun was placed”. Her husband “had hid the gun in the bedroom of their home”, she said. “James Crumbley had a key to the trigger lock that kept the gun secure.”
Her husband placed the gun in the car for her even when she and her son went to a shooting range, where her son showed her how to use a gun, the attorney explained.
She also addressed the meeting with concerned school officials on the day of the shooting, in which they suggested – but not insisted – the sophomore go home. It “caused him great anxiety to miss school” so she encouraged him to stay in school that day, the lawyer said, highlighting that the school gave her an option.
Hours later, her son opened fire at his high school.
Later that day, when the mother looked her son in the eyes at the substation, “his eyes looked black. It was a son she did not recognise”, the defence attorney said.
Her son “did something she could have never anticipated, fathomed, or predicted”, the defence said. “Her son had not been her son for months.”
The school didn’t tell her about “problematic issues” and gave a series of examples: when he tried to sleep in class, when he failed a test, an index card the shooter wrote in class with a drawing “of a loaded gun magazine”, his meeting with the school counsellor, in which the shooter said, “he was having a tough time”.
She told the jury that they would see that the shooting was “absolutely not foreseeable and absolutely not expected”.
What charges does Jennifer Crumbley face?
Monday 5 February 2024 23:00 , Kelly Rissman
Ms Crumbley faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter. She has pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, the maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years in prison.
As of Monday early afternoon, her case is still in the hands of 12 jurors.
They began deliberating on Monday morning after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony from school officials, law enforcement experts, acquaintances of Ms Crumbley and the defendant herself.
Chilling shooting footage played in court
Tuesday 6 February 2024 00:00 , Kelly Rissman
Ms Crumbley broke down in tears while the court was shown video footage of her 15-year-old son pointing his weapon at teachers and classmates in his high school.
The defendant’s sobs sparked a heated exchange among the attorneys.
The prosecution took issue with the response from Ms Crumbley — and her lawyer Ms Smith — to the footage, arguing they were not adhering to the court’s instructions to try to remain composed.
“You’re concerned about the influence of the jury. I take no issue with it. But it was a difficult thing and we’re doing it,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald told the judge. “And then to have not just the defendant, her lawyer sobbing.”
Ms Smith interjected: “I did not sob.” She told the judge that this footage isn’t relevant to her client’s case and added that her team has never seen it before.
“We were not sobbing or making a scene. All my eye makeup is still on,” she said.
“Everyone here is human,” Judge Cheryl Matthews said, underscoring that she’s “striving for a fair trial.” The judge added: “I’m not a robot. I’m trying to keep myself from sobbing. I’ll do it at six tonight.”
A regret-filled admission
Tuesday 6 February 2024 01:00 , Kelly Rissman
Last week, the court was shown footage of the first interview between police and the shooter’s parents – in which Jennifer Crumbley admitted that she regretted not taking their son out of school that day.
Hours before the mass shooting unfolded, the Crumbley parents were called in for a meeting with school administrators.
School staff had grown increasingly concerned after finding Ethan’s drawing, depicting a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop help me” and asked the parents to meet with them and their son to discuss it.
The parents refused to take Ethan out of school and he returned to the classroom. He opened fire hours later.
In police footage from later that day, investigators were seen bringing up the meeting with school staff.
Later in the interview, Ms Crumbley said the school counselor “didn’t seem worried” about the drawing and said that Ethan could either stay at school or his parents could take him home.
“And I really wish we took him home,” she can be heard saying.
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Michigan school shooter’s mother makes regret-filled admission on police video
Revealed: Texts with her lover
Tuesday 6 February 2024 02:00 , Kelly Rissman
Brian Meloche, a long-time friend of Ms Crumbley, told the court about his relationship with the convicted shooter’s mother, who is now on trial facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a landmark trial about parental responsibility. She has pleaded not guilty.
After her son Ethan Crumbley opened fire inside the Michigan high school, Ms Crumbley texted Mr Meloche that the massacre “could have been prevented,” according to a message revealed in court.
Other texts showed her describing the school’s response to Ethan’s disturbing behaviour – such as drawing a doodle of a mass shooting or searching online for ammunition – as “nonchalant”.
On the morning before the shooting, school administrators had called in the Crumbleys to discuss their son’s recent behaviour. The school staff gave the Crumbleys a choice: to take their 15-year-old home that day or to let him stay in school.
They chose to keep him in school, both allegedly citing that they had jobs to return to.
Despite telling school officials she had to return to work, Ms Crumbley had actually messaged Mr Meloche, saying that she could meet up with him, he testified.
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Jennifer Crumbley’s ex-lover reveals damning text messages at trial
Timeline
Tuesday 6 February 2024 03:00 , Kelly Rissman
Spring 2021:
An affair between Ms Crumbley and Brian Meloche – a fire department captain — began in spring of 2021. It lasted roughly six months, Mr Meloche testified.
Ethan’s grandmother passed away and he began missing school, as he was in Florida to be with his family.
Ms Crumbley texted her friend that she thought her son seemed “kind of depressed.”
Fall 2021:
Ethan Crumbley’s best friend leaves the state for OCD treatment.
His parents go to Halloween parties while Ethan is home alone.
James Crumbley buy a 9mm gun for Ethan to use.
His mother takes him to a shooting range.
Hours before the shooting, his teacher discovered a disturbing drawing and called his parents to arrange a meeting.
Ethan opened fire on his high school.
Jennifer Crumbley: Jury deliberation underway
Tuesday 6 February 2024 04:00 , Kelly Rissman
Crumbley’s attorney compares herself to her client in bizarre defence
Tuesday 6 February 2024 05:00 , Kelly Rissman
In closing arguments, defence attorney Shannon Smith detailed a series of snapshots into her own personal life as a “messy” working mother-of-four in an effort to relate to her client and suggest that she easily could have ended up in “Mrs Crumbley’s shoes”.
“I say ‘sorry’ a lot,” Ms Smith said, and referred to a TikTok video that apparently shows the attorney apologising throughout the trial.
The attorney told the court that she messes up a lot because “I’m human — and so is Mrs Crumbley”.
The defendant is “not a perfect person or a perfect parent,” she said, and neither is she.
Ms Smith said that as a working mother, she sometimes doesn’t have time to take a “true shower” but has to “just grab a handful of wipes and scrub off the best I can”.
“I realised I am Jennifer Crumbley,” Ms Smith said, outlining similarities between the two women.
“Calling your child an oopsie baby was designed to try to make her look bad with no context,” Ms Smith argued, adding that she calls her son an “oopsie baby” all the time.
Ms Smith said that she has called her child a “psycho” or a “nutcase,” just as Ms Crumbley called her son “weird” in texts to her friend.
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Jennifer Crumbley’s lawyer bizarrely tells court about own lack of showering
‘Tragically small' steps
Tuesday 6 February 2024 06:00 , Kelly Rissman
In the prosecution’s closing argument, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald stressed Ms Crumbley’s role in the lead-up to the mass shooting saying she could have done a few small things that may have changed the course of what happened.
But instead Ms Crumbley “has done the unthinkable and because of that four kids have died”, she said.
“She is not somebody that used ordinary care to prevent what was reasonably foreseeable,” she said.
Jurors were shown a slide, titled “What Jennifer Didn’t Say,” which listed all of the potential warning signs about her son, starting six months before the shooting.
The list included that the gun was accessible to him, that he had asked for help to go to a doctor, and that he had mentioned seeing demons.
Ms McDonald said there were “tragically small” things Ms Crumbley could have done to have prevented the shooting.
On the morning of the shooting, the Crumbley parents had been called in for a meeting with school staff after a teacher found a disturbing drawing of a gun.
Ms Crumbley “didn’t engage with her son at all in the entire 11 minutes she was there,” Ms McDonald said. “She did not hug him goodbye.”
The prosecutor argued that Ms Crumbley could have stopped by their home to check the gun was where it should have been following the meeting at the high school.
She could have locked the gun away out of reach of her son, she could have taken him home from school, she could have taken him to work, she could have told the school that they had gifted him a gun, Ms McDonald said.
She could have simply told her son at the meeting: “I care about you, I love you.”
The prosecutor also alluded to Ms Crumbley’s testimony earlier in the day, in which she said that she had told her boss that she would be back in “about an hour” after getting the call from school administrators.
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Michigan shooter could have been stopped if mom had taken ‘small’ steps: prosecutor
ICYMI: The prosecution’s argument
Tuesday 6 February 2024 07:00 , Kelly Rissman
The prosecution argued that she was well aware of her son’s “deteriorating mental health” and despite this, she and her husband bought him a gun and took him to a gun range.
“They weren’t in a car crash. They weren’t sick. They were murdered in an act of terror committed by Jennifer Crumbley’s 15-year-old son,” Oakland County assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said in opening statements.
“Jennifer Crumbley didn’t pull the trigger that day. But she’s responsible for their deaths,” he added.
Ethan Crumbley was in a “downward spiral” when the gun was purchased, and his mother knew that the prosecutor said. Still, “this gun was gifted”, he added.
“They didn’t do any number of tragically small and easy things that would have prevented all this from happening,” the attorney said of the parents, calling the tragedy “senseless”.
He also accused Ms Crumbley of trying to “downplay and downright lie” about her knowledge of what was going on with her son. Her “first instinct was to lie, second was to run”, he said.
This trial is about her “willful disregard of the danger that she knew of”, he said.
The Crumbleys’ relationship questioned
Tuesday 6 February 2024 09:00 , Kelly Rissman
Throughout the trial, the defence has portrayed her husband as being in charge of guns and Ms Crumbley as knowing little about firearms.
“It was a surprise to me that they went to the gun store that day. It was not a surprise that they bought a gun,” she said, referring to James Crumbley going to a gun store with Ethan.
Mr Keast then argued that Ms Crumbley didn’t “trust” her husband with many things around the house or to hold down a job – but did trust him “with a deadly weapon”.
“I did,” she replied.
Ms Crumbley was also forced to answer questions about her extramarital affair with a longtime friend — and her use of a dating website.
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Jennifer Crumbley’s use of adultery site revealed in shooting trial
Crumbley’s parents first police interview after school shooting
Tuesday 6 February 2024 11:00 , Kelly Rissman
Defence deflects blame
Tuesday 6 February 2024 13:00 , Kelly Rissman
During her closing arguments, defence attorney Shannon Smith deflected blame from her client and onto Ethan Crumbley, the school, and another witness.
Nothing could have stopped him that day and Ethan had pleaded guilty to his crimes, she argued.
Ms Smith also described Ethan as a “skilled manipulator” although he never showed his parents signs of mental illness. “No parent would purchase a weapon if they believed their child had mental illnesses,” she said, adding that the Crumbleys had two other firearms in the house and nothing had ever happened prior to the mass shooting.
The lawyer also argued that there was a “lack of evidence” to show that Ms Crumbley found her son weird or acting depressed. “There are not texts [between the Crumbley parents] that their son was exhibiting anything close to a mental health concern,” she said.
Ms Smith also characterised a voicemail left by a school counsellor for Ms Crumbley as “very nonchalant.” She added that the voicemail didn’t require a call back.
The lawyer also sought to place the blame for the shooting on the school.
She brought up the school meeting between the parents and the school staff on the morning of the shooting, after Ethan was found with disturbing drawings.
The school reportedly gave the Crumbleys a choice of whether to take Ethan home or keep him in class.
They chose to keep him in school — which he shot up hours later. “Reasonable doubt can be found in the fact that trained professionals told Ms Crumbley that her son was not a risk,” Ms Smith said, emphasising that the school did not force the parents to take the high school sophomore home.
The defence also brought up the prosecution’s claim that Ms Crumbley did not tell the school that she and her husband had just bought a gun for their son. Experts testified that students are known to go to the gun ranges often and know that it’s a “gun community”.
Earlier this week, Ms Crumbley’s lover Brian Meloche testified that the pair had a six-month affair starting in the spring of 2021. They haven’t talked since Ms Crumbley was arrested in December 2021, he said.
Ms Smith claimed that Mr Meloche was “inconsistent” and called him a “terrible witness”.
“He’s just an idiot and has no clue,” she said, referring to him claiming that Ms Crumbley told him the 9mm handgun was in her car on the day of the shooting.
‘Wish he would’ve killed us instead’
Tuesday 6 February 2024 14:00 , Kelly Rissman
Ms Crumbley took the stand to testify in her own defence last week.
Her voice quivered as she talked about the day of the shooting.
“I couldn’t believe he had actually shot anybody in the school,” she said, adding that the whole situation felt “surreal.”
“That was the hardest thing I had to stomach – that my child harmed and killed other people,” Ms Crumbley said, stumbling over the last few words and uttering them quietly.
Although she spent most of her time on the stand on Thursday making direct eye contact either with her attorney or the jury box, when she mentioned her son’s shooting, she looked down, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
Her attorney also asked whether Ms Crumbley thought her son was a danger to others, she said: “As a parent you spend your whole life trying to protect your child from other dangers. You never would think you’d have to protect your child from harming somebody else.”
The 45-year-old was then asked whether she considered herself a victim. She said no because she didn’t want to “disrespect those families that truly are the victims”. She then added: “We did lose a lot.”
In the last few moments of the defence’s questioning on Thursday, she was asked whether she could change what had happened if she could. Ms Crumbley said, “Oh absolutely. I wish he would’ve killed us instead.”
Second day of jury deliberations begin
Tuesday 6 February 2024 14:22 , Kelly Rissman
After the jury did not reach a verdict on Monday in the case of Jennifer Crumbley , their deliberations continued into Tuesday.
The 12 jurors were handed the case on Monday morning after hearing two weeks of testimony from school administrators, friends — and one lover — of Ms Crumbley, and the defendant herself.
The judge told several alternate jurors that they could sequester at home on Tuesday.
She acknowledged that this was “boring” experience for them and said that she saw one of them sleeping while others were doing sudokus and crosswords, sparking laughter among the alternates.
Recap: The police interview admission
Tuesday 6 February 2024 14:40 , Kelly Rissman
In court, the jurors watched a videotaped interview with police, during which they discussed a meeting wit school administrators.
On the morning of the shooting, school staff had grown increasingly concerned after finding Ethan’s drawing, depicting a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop help me”.
The Crumbley parents were called in to meet with school staff and their son to discuss it.
While given the choice of whether to keep Ethan in school or take him home, the parents opted for him to return to class. He shot up his school hours later.
A videotaped interview in the hours after the shooting shows investigators asking the parents about this meeting.
Mr Crumbley says their son was “doodling on a test or a practice test,” seemingly referring to the disturbing drawing, when Ms Crumbley interrupts: “I think we probably should have a lawyer.”
Mr Crumbley then says: “I think we can speak to the cops.”
Later in the interview, Ms Crumbley is seen telling police that the school counsellor “didn’t seem worried” about the drawing and that Ethan could either stay at school or his parents could take him home.
Read the full story...
Michigan school shooter’s mother makes regret-filled admission on police video
ICYMI: Jennifer Crumbley's lawyer makes bizarre defence mentioning shower habits
Tuesday 6 February 2024 15:00 , Kelly Rissman
Why is Jennifer Crumbley on trial?
Tuesday 6 February 2024 15:20 , Kelly Rissman
The parents face four counts of involuntary manslaughter, accused of ignoring his mental health condition and making the gun accessible at home. They have both pleaded not guilty.
Four days before the shooting on 30 November 2021, James bought his son a gun, which Ethan described on Instagram as his “new beauty”.
Jennifer then took her son to a shooting range.
A few days later, a teacher noticed the high school sophomore searching online for ammunition, sparking concerned school administrators to contact his parents.
Instead of responding to the school, his mother allegedly texted her son: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”
On the day of the shooting, a teacher found a disturbing drawing on Ethan’s desk depicting a school massacre, featuring a semi-automatic handgun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop help me”, prosecutors said.
The school staff then met with Ethan and his parents.
Although the school staff urged Ethan to seek psychiatric help that day and to go home early, his parents rejected the idea and the school didn’t require him to leave.
Later that day, their son opened fire, taking the lives of four classmates: Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, and Justin Shilling, 17.
‘Bad Blood'
Tuesday 6 February 2024 15:40 , Kelly Rissman
The trial got off to an interesting start when Ms Crumbley’s attorney Shannon Smith quoted Taylor Swift’s song “Bad Blood” in her opening statement. Ms Smith said this case was about the prosecution “attempting to put a Band-Aid on problems that can’t be fixed with a Band-Aid”.
“A Band-Aid will never bring back the lives that were lost,” she added.
The defence attorney also insisted that Ethan’s mental condition was “not on her radar”, yet also described her as a “hypervigilant” mother. Ms Smith also emphasised Mr Crumbley’s love of guns and placed blame on the school.
The prosecution, by contrast, argued in its opening statement that Ms Crumbley was well aware of her son’s “deteriorating mental health”.
Read the full story...
Key revelations from Jennifer Crumbley’s trial
The Crumbley’s ‘hiding,’ explained
Tuesday 6 February 2024 16:00 , Kelly Rissman
The jury heard how, in the days following the massacre, the Crumbleys came under scrutiny for their strange behaviour.
Reports showed the couple drained their son’s bank account, withdrew cash, sold their horses, and bought four burner phones in the hours after learning that their son was behind the school shooting.
The pair also checked into a hotel before landing at Ms Crumbley’s friend’s artist studio.
Ms Crumbley’s attorney told the jury on 25 January that the Crumbleys had been receiving “death threats” at their home, so they decided to stay at a hotel – as the defence pushes back on the claim that they were on the run.
The pair also bought burner phones – twice – because police had seized their normal phones and then they weren’t able to do two-factor authentication to access their bank accounts with their original burner phones, the defence claimed.
The defence attorney told jurors that the couple “weren’t hiding,” but were “waiting for instructions” and were “waiting to turn themselves in first thing Saturday morning, when arraignments take place”.
They were arrested at the artist studio on 4 December, 2021.
Jennifer Crumbley’s defence attorney gets personal in closing arguments
Tuesday 6 February 2024 16:20 , Kelly Rissman
Shannon Smith said she and her client have a lot in common.
“I say ‘sorry’ a lot,” Ms Smith said, and referred to a TikTok video that apparently shows the attorney apologising throughout the trial.
The attorney told the court that she messes up a lot because “I’m human — and so is Mrs Crumbley”.
The defendant is “not a perfect person or a perfect parent,” she said, and neither is she.
Ms Smith said that as a working mother, she sometimes doesn’t have time to take a “true shower” but has to “just grab a handful of wipes and scrub off the best I can”.
“I realised I am Jennifer Crumbley,” Ms Smith said, outlining similarities between the two women.
“Calling your child an oopsie baby was designed to try to make her look bad with no context,” Ms Smith argued, adding that she calls her son an “oopsie baby” all the time.
Ms Smith said that she has called her child a “psycho” or a “nutcase,” just as Ms Crumbley called her son “weird” in texts to her friend.
The lawyer said that she doesn’t own a gun, but has a “butcher block” of big knives.
“My kids could easily grab a knife without me knowing it…and walk out the door of my house and go play with the other kids…and my son could kill somebody,” she said. “And I never would have expected it to happen.”
She added other hypotheticals of why she believes this case is too extreme. “Am I going to be held responsible if my son sends a picture of his penis over to some girl?” Ms Smith asked.
“Can parents really be responsible for everything their children do? Especially when it’s not foreseeable?” the lawyer added.
“It was unforeseeable. No one expected this. No one could have expected this — including Mrs Crumbley,” the attorney said.
Jury deliberations still underway
Tuesday 6 February 2024 16:25 , Kelly Rissman
The jury is still out in the case of Jennifer Crumbley.
The 12 jurors were handed the case on Monday morning after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony from a variety of witnesses: school administrators, law enforcement officials, friends of Ms Crumbley and the defendant herself.
Several alternate jurors were told they could sequester at home starting on Tuesday.
The timeline in question
Tuesday 6 February 2024 17:00 , Kelly Rissman
Spring 2021:
An affair between Ms Crumbley and Brian Meloche – a fire department captain — began in spring of 2021. It lasted roughly six months, Mr Meloche testified.
Ethan’s grandmother passed away and he began missing school, as he was in Florida to be with his family.
Ms Crumbley texted her friend that she thought her son seemed “kind of depressed.”
Fall 2021:
Ethan Crumbley’s best friend leaves the state for OCD treatment.
His parents go to Halloween parties while Ethan is home alone.
James Crumbley buy a 9mm gun for Ethan to use.
His mother takes him to a shooting range.
Hours before the shooting, his teacher discovered a disturbing drawing and called his parents to arrange a meeting.
Ethan opened fire on his high school.
ICYMI: Jennifer Crumbley addresses texting about horses more than her son
Tuesday 6 February 2024 17:20 , Kelly Rissman
Last week while she took the stand, Ms Crumbley’s defence attorney also brought up text messages between her and her husband which focused a lot on horses.
Ms Crumbley admitted that she talked “a lot more about the horses” than her son in these text exchanges because Mr Crumbley didn’t know horses like she did – so she would explain to her husband how to take care of them while she was at work.
“Horses can’t talk,” she said, but she could talk to her son after school.
The 45-year-old was also asked about her former job. She testified that she had worked as a marketing director at a real estate acquisition company for five years, a job that she said she cared about “a lot”.
Who are the Crumbleys?
Tuesday 6 February 2024 17:40 , Kelly Rissman
Jennifer, 45, worked in marketing at a real estate firm and James, 47, worked for DoorDash, according to court documents.
During the meeting with Ethan and school administrators who suggested he leave school early hours before the shooting, filings suggest that Jennifer cited their jobs as reasons why he couldn’t come home.
The pair initially came under scrutiny for their strange behaviour in the aftermath of the shooting. Reports showed the couple drained their son’s bank account.
They withdrew cash, sold their horses, and bought four burner phones in the hours after finding out that their son had opened fire.
When they were arrested four days after the shooting, the couple reportedly had $6,600 in cash, credit cards, gift cards and four phones.
At the time, the Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said that “they started making plans”.
Jennifer texted someone that “she needed to sell her horses fast” and the couple “drained their son’s bank account” later that day, taking out $3,000 and leaving a mere 99 cents, Ms McDonald said.
The pair also checked into a hotel. The defence attorney told the jury on 25 January that the Crumbleys had been receiving “death threats” at their home, so they went to a hotel to seek refuge.
Fearful, the pair bought burner phones. The defence lawyer also explained to jurors that they bought two pairs of burner phones because they couldn’t access their bank accounts with their original burners, since they weren’t able to do the necessary two-factor authentication.
The Crumbleys then stayed at an artist studio, belonging to Jennifer’s friend, where they were arrested the next day, on 4 December. They were supposed to have turned themselves in on the afternoon of 3 December, but failed to do so, resulting in a manhunt.
The defence attorney told the court that the couple “weren’t hiding,” but “waiting for instructions” and they were “waiting to turn themselves in first thing Saturday morning, when arraignments take place”.
WATCH: Tearful Jennifer Crumbley takes stand in manslaughter trial
Tuesday 6 February 2024 18:00 , Kelly Rissman
Verdict reached
Tuesday 6 February 2024 18:22 , Kelly Rissman
The 12 jurors have reached a verdict in a landmark case.
Jennifer Crumbley was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. She pleaded not guilty.
The jurors were handed the case on Monday. They have been deliberating for nearly 10 hours.
A verdict is expected to be announced soon.
Jennifer Crumbley found guilty
Tuesday 6 February 2024 18:42 , Kelly Rissman
A Michigan jury has found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting, after she bought her teenage son a firearm and ignored multiple warning signs about his disturbing behaviour in the lead-up to the deadly attack.
Jurors reached the verdict on Tuesday morning after deliberating for more than 10 hours.
Crumbley, 45, had pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the case.
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Ethan Crumbley’s mother Jennifer convicted in historic Michigan school shooting trial
Moment Jennifer Crumbley found guilty of manslaughter
Tuesday 6 February 2024 19:00 , Kelly Rissman
What charges does Jennifer Crumbley face?
Tuesday 6 February 2024 19:15 , Kelly Rissman
Ms Crumbley faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter after her son shot and killed four of his classmates in November 2021.
She pleaded not guilty but was found guilty by a jury on Tuesday afternoon after 10 hours of deliberation.
The maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years in prison.
They began deliberating on Monday morning after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony from school officials, law enforcement experts, acquaintances of Ms Crumbley and the defendant herself.
Sentencing date scheduled
Tuesday 6 February 2024 19:16 , Kelly Rissman
Ms Crumbley’s sentencing is slated for 9 April.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Tuesday 6 February 2024 19:30 , Kelly Rissman
Jennifer Crumbley’s texts to her lover revealed in court
Tuesday 6 February 2024 20:00 , Kelly Rissman
Brian Meloche, a long-time friend of Ms Crumbley, told the court about his relationship with the convicted shooter’s mother, who is now on trial facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a landmark trial about parental responsibility. She has pleaded not guilty.
After her son Ethan Crumbley opened fire inside the Michigan high school, Ms Crumbley texted Mr Meloche that the massacre “could have been prevented,” according to a message revealed in court.
Other texts showed her describing the school’s response to Ethan’s disturbing behaviour – such as drawing a doodle of a mass shooting or searching online for ammunition – as “nonchalant”.
On the morning before the shooting, school administrators had called in the Crumbleys to discuss their son’s recent behaviour. The school staff gave the Crumbleys a choice: to take their 15-year-old home that day or to let him stay in school.
They chose to keep him in school, both allegedly citing that they had jobs to return to. Despite telling school officials she had to return to work, Ms Crumbley had actually messaged Mr Meloche, saying that she could meet up with him, he testified.
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Jennifer Crumbley’s ex-lover reveals damning text messages at trial
ICYMI: What happened at the Jennifer Crumbley trial?
Tuesday 6 February 2024 20:30 , Kelly Rissman
In closing arguments, the prosecution stressed that Crumbley could have taken “tragically small” steps that would have prevented the shooting.
Oakland Prosecutor Karen McDonald argued that Crumbley could have stopped by their home to check the gun was where it should have been following the meeting at the high school. She could have locked the gun away out of reach of her son, she could have taken him home from school, she could have taken him to work, she could have told the school that they had gifted him a gun.
Noting that Crumbley “didn’t engage” with her son during the school meeting, the prosecutor said the mother could have simply told her son then: “I care about you, I love you.”
Defence attorney Shannon Smith argued in her closing arguments that Crumbley is “not a perfect person or a perfect parent” and that the events that transpired could not have been anticipated.
Ms Smith asked the court: “Can parents really be responsible for everything their children do? Especially when it’s not foreseeable?”
She continued, “It was unforeseeable. No one expected this. No one could have expected this — including Mrs Crumbley.”
Crumbley took the stand last week to deliver a rather unemotional testimony — except when she discussed her son or the shooting that he committed.
“That was the hardest thing I had to stomach – that my child harmed and killed other people,” Crumbley said, stumbling over the last few words and uttering them quietly.
When asked if she would change what had happened if she could, Crumbley said, “Oh absolutely. I wish he would’ve killed us instead.”
Kris Brown, president of gun safety group Brady, issues a statement
Tuesday 6 February 2024 21:00 , Kelly Rissman
“A jury has found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter. This ruling means that she is criminally responsible for facilitating the massacre at Oxford High School by failing to block her son’s access to the murder weapon – and safely store the firearm – despite indicators of imminent violence. Irresponsible behavior like Jennifer Crumbley exhibited is why 76% of school shooters under the age of 18 get their firearms from home. The consequences are irreparable, and the families of the children killed in this brutal attack will never again get to hold their children close and watch them grow.
“This verdict will not bring back the children killed or heal the wounds of those injured, but it does bring a shed of justice for the families who were so egregiously wronged. Today’s decision sends a powerful message to parents and other parties that they can be responsible for their actions that foreseeably contribute to gun violence even if they don’t pull the trigger.”
White House's remarks on verdict
Tuesday 6 February 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman
Karine Jean Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, said in a statement on Tuesday:
“We saw the breaking news just not too long ago....without speaking specifically, on today’s verdict, we want to be really careful here. I can say that the President remains committed to stop tragedies like these happening in the first place. … Students who carry carry out K-12 school shootings are using firearms they obtain from home from a friend or family member. We know that to be true.
T”he importance of safe firearm storage cannot be overstated. And the administration will continue to use every tool at our disposal to implement these and other common sense gun safety measures to protect our children, our schools and our communities. Look, when it comes to when it comes to gun violence, the president has said this is an epidemic. It is the number one killer of our kids.
“We’ve done more than two dozen executive actions … He signed … bipartisan legislation to deal with gun violence, legislation that hasn’t passed in 30 years. So he takes this very seriously. We do not want to continue to see and our kids being the number one killer, it shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be.”
Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President for Law and Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, issued a statement
Tuesday 6 February 2024 22:00 , Kelly Rissman
“Today’s verdict underscores the important responsibility of parents and gun owners in preventing children from having unsupervised access to deadly weapons.
“Plain and simple, the deadly shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 should have — and could have — been prevented had the Crumbley’s not acquired a gun for their 15-year-old son. This decision is an important step forward in ensuring accountability and, hopefully, preventing future tragedies.”
Gun safety advocate weighs in on verdict
Tuesday 6 February 2024 22:30 , Kelly Rissman
NEW: Today’s verdict in Michigan underscores that the mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 was wholly preventable and senseless, and it proves that when adult gun owners allow children unsupervised access to unsecured weapons, it’s criminal negligence - not an accident. https://t.co/128SD4CJb9
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 6, 2024
What do involuntary manslaughter charges mean in Michigan?
Tuesday 6 February 2024 22:52 , Kelly Rissman
In order to be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Michigan, the prosecution had to prove at least one of two theories to jurors beyond a reasonable doubt.
The first theory relies on gross negligence. This theory, as the Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald explained to the court, means that the defendant “caused death” by acting in a grossly negligent manner.
The second theory hinges on a failure to perform a legal duty. This theory means that the defendant had a legal duty to the victim, yet “willfully neglected or refused to perform” that duty – and that this “failure to perform it was grossly negligent to human life”. Ultimately, it means that a victim’s death was directly caused by the defendant’s failure to perform this legal duty.
Judge Cheryl Matthews defined the legal duty in this case when giving the jury their instructions.
“In Michigan, a parent has a legal duty to exercise reasonable care to control their minor child so as to prevent the minor child from intentionally harming others or prevent the minor child from conducting themselves in a way that creates an unreasonable risk of bodily harm to others,” she said.
If either or both of these two theories are proven, that is “sufficient to establish the crime of involuntary manslaughter,” the judge said.
“It’s not necessary that you all agree on which theory has been proven. As long as you all agree that the prosecutor has to prove at least one of those theories beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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How Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in historic case
Jennifer Crumbley found guilty in historic trial
00:00 , Kelly Rissman
A Michigan jury has found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting, after she bought her teenage son a firearm and ignored multiple warning signs about his disturbing behaviour in the lead-up to the deadly attack.
Jurors reached the verdict on Tuesday morning after deliberating for more than 10 hours.
Crumbley, 45, had pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the case, one for each of the four classmates – Madiyson Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14 – murdered by her son.
Her son, Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced in December to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he shot and killed four of his classmates in the 30 November 2021 mass shooting.
The verdict handed down to the shooter’s mother is historic, as no parent has ever been charged, tried or convicted for their alleged role in a mass school shooting perpetrated by their child.
Read the full story...
Ethan Crumbley’s mother Jennifer convicted in historic Michigan school shooting trial
The prosecution’s successful argument, revisited
01:00 , Kelly Rissman
In opening statements, the prosecution argued that Jennifer Crumbley was well aware of her son’s “deteriorating mental health” and despite this, she and her husband bought him a gun and took him to a gun range.
“They weren’t in a car crash. They weren’t sick. They were murdered in an act of terror committed by Jennifer Crumbley’s 15-year-old son,” Oakland County assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said in opening statements.
“Jennifer Crumbley didn’t pull the trigger that day. But she’s responsible for their deaths,” he added.
Ethan Crumbley was in a “downward spiral” when the gun was purchased, and his mother knew that the prosecutor said. Still, “this gun was gifted”, he added.
“They didn’t do any number of tragically small and easy things that would have prevented all this from happening,” the attorney said of the parents, calling the tragedy “senseless”.
He also accused Ms Crumbley of trying to “downplay and downright lie” about her knowledge of what was going on with her son. Her “first instinct was to lie, second was to run”, he said.
This trial is about her “willful disregard of the danger that she knew of”, he said.
The defence, on the other hand, insisted that her son’s mental condition was “not on her radar”, emphasised her husband’s love of guns, placed blame on the school, and described her as a “hypervigilant” mother.
Jennifer Crumbley’s bizarre defence
02:00 , Kelly Rissman
In closing arguments, Jennifer Crumbley’s attorney Shannon Smith acknowledged that she has a big personality, and asked the jurors not to project any negative feelings they may have toward her onto her client.
The lawyer detailed a series of snapshots into her own personal life as a “messy” working mother-of-four in an effort to relate to her client and suggest that she easily could have ended up in “Mrs Crumbley’s shoes”.
“I say ‘sorry’ a lot,” Ms Smith said, and referred to a TikTok video that apparently shows the attorney apologising throughout the trial.
The attorney told the court that she messes up a lot because “I’m human — and so is Mrs Crumbley”.
The defendant is “not a perfect person or a perfect parent,” she said, and neither is she.
Ms Smith said that as a working mother, she sometimes doesn’t have time to take a “true shower” but has to “just grab a handful of wipes and scrub off the best I can”.
“I realised I am Jennifer Crumbley,” Ms Smith said, outlining similarities between the two women.
“Calling your child an oopsie baby was designed to try to make her look bad with no context,” Ms Smith argued, adding that she calls her son an “oopsie baby” all the time.
Ms Smith said that she has called her child a “psycho” or a “nutcase,” just as Ms Crumbley called her son “weird” in texts to her friend.
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Jennifer Crumbley’s lawyer bizarrely tells court about own lack of showering
ICYMI: Moment Jennifer Crumbley found guilty of manslaughter
03:00 , Kelly Rissman
White House’s remarks on verdict
04:00 , Kelly Rissman
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, said in a statement on Tuesday:
“We saw the breaking news just not too long ago....without speaking specifically, on today’s verdict, we want to be really careful here. I can say that the President remains committed to stop tragedies like these happening in the first place. … Students who carry carry out K-12 school shootings are using firearms they obtain from home from a friend or family member. We know that to be true.
T”he importance of safe firearm storage cannot be overstated. And the administration will continue to use every tool at our disposal to implement these and other common sense gun safety measures to protect our children, our schools and our communities. Look, when it comes to when it comes to gun violence, the president has said this is an epidemic. It is the number one killer of our kids.
“We’ve done more than two dozen executive actions … He signed … bipartisan legislation to deal with gun violence, legislation that hasn’t passed in 30 years. So he takes this very seriously. We do not want to continue to see and our kids being the number one killer, it shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be.”
In photos: the Jennifer Crumbley trial
06:00 , Kelly Rissman
The school meeting hours before the massacre
08:00 , Kelly Rissman
Central to the case was the meeting between the Crumbley parents and school officials that took place mere hours before the shooting.
On the morning of 30 November 2021, a teacher had noticed a disturbing drawing by Ethan, prompting school administrators to call in his parents for a meeting and consult them about whether he should stay in school or be taken home.
The parents decided he should stay in school, where he killed four of his classmates hours later.
The defence underscored that school staff gave Crumbley a choice and didn’t force her to take her son home.
However, a videotaped interview with police in the aftermath of the attack was played in court, showing Crumbley admitting: “I really wish we took him home.”
In an attempt to cut into the defence’s description of Crumbley being a “hypervigilant” mom, the prosecution tried to draw attention to how much time and money the mother dedicated to her horses and to other distractions — including her affair with her former lover.
Brian Meloche, Crumbley’s long-time friend, testified that he and Crumbley had a six-month extramarital affair starting in the spring of 2021. Around this same time, Ethan’s mental health started to decline, the prosecution claimed. His grandmother passed away in April 2021 and his mother told a friend that he was “acting depressed”.
Beyond this affair, Crumbley’s digital footprint also showed that she was using the adultery website AdultFriendFinder.
Despite telling school staff that Ethan should remain in school since both she and her husband had to return to work that day, Mr Meloche testified that Crumbley had text him saying she was free to meet up with him.
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Ethan Crumbley’s mother Jennifer convicted in historic Michigan school shooting trial
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter’s statement following Jennifer Crumbley's conviction
10:00 , Kelly Rissman
“Today, my heart remains with the families of four of Oxford’s brightest lights - Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling - along with the extended Oxford community.”
“While their pain and grief can never be diminished, the guilty verdict is a strong signal and an important step toward accountability. Let us all embrace the community with love and the continued support they need on their path toward healing. I appreciate the hard work and talented efforts of Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and her team in this important case.”
ICYMI: Jennifer Crumbley’s lawyer makes bizarre defence mentioning shower habits
12:00 , Kelly Rissman
The historic case of Jennifer Crumbley
14:00 , Kelly Rissman
This case was unprecedented, as it marked the first time a parent went on trial for their alleged role in a mass shooting carried out by their child.
The case could provide a blueprint for how others, beyond the shooter, could be charged over a mass shooting.
Crumbley’s husband James Crumbley is being tried separately in March. He has also pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Other parents have also faced criminal charges when their child has committed a shooting.
The mother of the Virginia six-year-old who shot his first grade teacher, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to 21 months in prison in November after she pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm while being a drug user and lying on a background check about her marijuana use when she bought the gun which was later used by her son.
In November, Robert Crimo Jr, the father of the Highland Park shooter, also pleaded guilty to seven counts of misdemeanour reckless conduct after his son opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in the Illinois suburb in 2022. His son was 21 at the time of the shooting.
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How Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in historic case
ICYMI: Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty
15:00 , Kelly Rissman
A Michigan jury has found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting, after she bought her teenage son a firearm and ignored multiple warning signs about his disturbing behaviour in the lead-up to the deadly attack.
Jurors reached the verdict on Tuesday morning after deliberating for more than 10 hours.
Crumbley, 45, had pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the case, one for each of the four classmates – Madiyson Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14 – murdered by her son.
Her son, Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced in December to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he shot and killed four of his classmates in the 30 November 2021 mass shooting.
The verdict handed down to the shooter’s mother is historic, as no parent has ever been charged, tried or convicted for their alleged role in a mass school shooting perpetrated by their child.
Read the full story...
Ethan Crumbley’s mother Jennifer convicted in historic Michigan school shooting trial
Who are the Crumbleys?
15:30 , Kelly Rissman
Jennifer, 45, worked in marketing at a real estate firm and James, 47, worked for DoorDash, according to court documents.
During the meeting with Ethan and school administrators who suggested he leave school early hours before the shooting, filings suggest that Jennifer cited their jobs as reasons why he couldn’t come home.
The pair initially came under scrutiny for their strange behaviour in the aftermath of the shooting. Reports showed the couple drained their son’s bank account.
They withdrew cash, sold their horses, and bought four burner phones in the hours after finding out that their son had opened fire.
When they were arrested four days after the shooting, the couple reportedly had $6,600 in cash, credit cards, gift cards and four phones.
At the time, the Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said that “they started making plans”.
Jennifer texted someone that “she needed to sell her horses fast” and the couple “drained their son’s bank account” later that day, taking out $3,000 and leaving a mere 99 cents, Ms McDonald said.
The pair also checked into a hotel. The defence attorney told the jury on 25 January that the Crumbleys had been receiving “death threats” at their home, so they went to a hotel to seek refuge.
Fearful, the pair bought burner phones. The defence lawyer also explained to jurors that they bought two pairs of burner phones because they couldn’t access their bank accounts with their original burners, since they weren’t able to do the necessary two-factor authentication.
The Crumbleys then stayed at an artist studio, belonging to Jennifer’s friend, where they were arrested the next day, on 4 December. They were supposed to have turned themselves in on the afternoon of 3 December, but failed to do so, resulting in a manhunt.
The defence attorney told the court that the couple “weren’t hiding,” but “waiting for instructions” and they were “waiting to turn themselves in first thing Saturday morning, when arraignments take place”.
WATCH: Tearful Jennifer Crumbley takes stand in manslaughter trial
16:00 , Kelly Rissman
Recap: The police interview admission
16:30 , Kelly Rissman
On the morning of the shooting, school staff had grown increasingly concerned after finding Ethan’s drawing, depicting a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop help me”.
The Crumbley parents were called in to meet with school staff and their son to discuss it.
While given the choice of whether to keep Ethan in school or take him home, the parents opted for him to return to class. He shot up his school hours later.
A videotaped interview in the hours after the shooting shows investigators asking the parents about this meeting.
Mr Crumbley says their son was “doodling on a test or a practice test,” seemingly referring to the disturbing drawing, when Ms Crumbley interrupts: “I think we probably should have a lawyer.”
Mr Crumbley then says: “I think we can speak to the cops.”
Later in the interview, Ms Crumbley is seen telling police that the school counsellor “didn’t seem worried” about the drawing and that Ethan could either stay at school or his parents could take him home.
“And I really wish we took him home,” she is heard admitting.
Mr Crumbley also says at the start of the interview that he is “freaking out” and asks for some water.
He later tells police that their 15-year-old is a “great kid,” adding that he “doesn’t get in trouble at school”.
When an officer tells the parents that they will need to talk to Ethan, an emotional Ms Crumbley is heard asking: “Why?... He’s never done anything bad”.
The interview also revealed that Ethan had texted his mother — telling her that he loved her — not long before he opened fire on his classmates.
During the interview, Mr Crumbley also shares details with police about where his son had gotten hold of the gun.
He says that the weapon was hidden in a gun case in an armoire and that the bullets were “in a completely different spot underneath some jeans”.
Parents of victims react to the guilty verdict
16:45 , Kelly Rissman
A jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter on 6 February, just two months after her son was sentenced to life without parole for killing four of his classmates: Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling.
After the verdict was read out in court, Shilling’s father Craig Shilling told reporters that it marks a “step toward accountability” in the case and sends a message that “all of this has to stop”.
“It was a long time coming, but it’s definitely a step toward accountability,” he said.
“It’s definitely going to resonate with me for a while,” he continued. “It’s not really about winning or losing. It’s about making it apparent that all of this has to stop in society.”
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Parents of Michigan school shooting victims react to Jennifer Crumbley conviction
