Mother found guilty of involuntary manslaughter over son’s school shooting
A mother whose teenage son opened fire at a Michigan school and killed four students has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the first case of its kind.
A jury ruled that even though Jennifer Crumbley had no involvement in the attack, she was guilty of involuntary manslaughter because she failed to warn teachers about the gun she knew her son Ethan had.
She should have secured the weapon in a safe place at home and obtained help for her 15-year-old’s mental health problems, the jury decided.
Four guilty verdicts, one for each of the students shot dead at Oxford High School near Detroit in 2021, were delivered after 11 hours of deliberations.
Crumbley, 45, who had pleaded not guilty, looked down and shook her head slightly after the verdicts were read.
Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews thanked the jurors and said: “We all know that this was one of the hardest things you’ve ever done.”
On her way out of the courtroom, prosecutor Karen McDonald hugged Craig Shilling, the father of victim Justin Shilling, and the family of Madisyn Baldwin.
In December, Crumbley’s son was sentenced to life without parole after another court heard hours of testimony from wounded survivors and parents who lost children. Ethan Crumbley, now aged 17, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of murder and terrorism.
Crumbley’s father, James, is being tried separately and is also charged with involuntary manslaughter and is said to have bought the weapon - a SIG Sauer 9mm - for his son. His trial is due to begin in March.
A gagging order by the judge prevented Ms McDonald and Shannon Smith, the defence attorney, from speaking to reporters.
The court heard that on the morning of November 30 2021, school staff members were concerned about a violent drawing of a gun, bullet and wounded man on Ethan’s maths assignment. His parents were called to the school for a meeting with school staff but they did not take the boy home.
A few hours later, Ethan pulled a handgun from his backpack and shot 10 students and a teacher. No one had checked his bag.
The gun had allegedly been bought for the teenager by his father just four days earlier. Crumbley had taken her son to a shooting range that same weekend.
While cross-examining Crumbley last week, Marc Keast, the assistant prosecutor, said: “You’re the last adult to have possession of that gun.
“You saw your son shoot the last practice round before the [school] shooting on November 30. You saw how he stood… He knew how to use the gun.”
The teenager’s mother replied: “Yes, he did.”
