Historical verdict sets the future for parental responsibilities
On Feb. 6, 2024, Jennifer Crumbly, mother of the Oxford High School shooter in Michigan, was convicted for four involuntary manslaughter charges. This is the first time a parent has been charged guilty and prosecuted for a mass shooting committed by their child.
Two years prior, Ethan Crumbly opened fire at Oxford High School and killed four students: Madiyson Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; Hana St. Juliana, 14; as well as injuring seven others, including one teacher. He had previously shown signs of violence, searching online for ammunition with his cellphone and disturbing drawings found on his math paper. However, these problems were dismissed, he was not pulled out of school and his backpack was not searched. Due to concerned staff members, Ethan Crumbly’s parents were called and asked to take him home, but they did not. Just hours later, Ethan Crumbly pulled out a handgun and shot 10 students and one teacher.
Ethan Crumbly was charged with murder and terrorism as an adult, and James and Jennifer Crumbly, Ethan’s parents, were charged with involuntary manslaughter, but they had run away and a search was launched. Hours after a bond was imposed on them, they were found hiding in an art studio in Detroit. They both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the following days, there was a pair of lawsuits seeking $100 million each from a Michigan school district, arguing that the violence could have been prevented. These were filed by the parents of Riley Franz, who was wounded in the shooting, and Bella Franz, who was next to her at the time.
The prosecution argued that the responsibility of the deaths should be placed on Jennifer Crumbly, as she had given Ethan Crumbly the gun and failed to acknowledge his declining mental health. Prosecutors alleged that she knew, or at least should have known, about her son’s deteriorating mental condition. Jennifer Crumbly was also accused of improperly storing the gun after giving it to her son. The prosecution went on to highlight Jennifer Crumbly’s failure to pull her son out of school after concerns from school staff.
The defense placed the blame on her husband, James Crumbly, for improperly guarding and securing the firearm. They also argued that the school failed to notify Jennifer Crumbly about her son’s behavioral problems. Lastly, the defense faulted Ethan Crumbly himself, mentioning that he planned and carried out the shooting on his own.
Under Michigan state law, parents have the duty to prevent their children from causing any harm towards others. Prosecutors say that she failed to follow this, and allowed access for Ethan Crumbly to obtain the gun and ammunition.
This historic verdict sets an essential precedent on who can be held responsible for school or mass shootings, disregarding the offender. Legal experts argued that this decision could broaden the possibilities for more prosecutors to hold parents responsible in shootings across the country.
Jennifer Crumbly’s sentence hearing has been set to April 9, where she faces up to 15 years in prison. James Crumbly will face trial in March.
