Prosecutor States Michigan Mother Didn’t Pull Trigger but is Responsible for Son’s School Shooting, According to Reuters

By Brad Brooks

Michigan prosecutors informed jurors on Thursday that the mother of a boy involved in a 2021 high school shooting failed to take several simple and crucial actions that could have prevented the tragic deaths of four individuals.

Jennifer Crumbley, 45, along with her husband James Crumbley, 47, who will face separate trial proceedings next month, is charged with four counts of manslaughter. Their son, Ethan, who was 15 during the incident at Oxford High School near Detroit, pleaded guilty in 2022 to multiple charges, including four counts of first-degree murder, and was sentenced last month to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

This trial is remarkable as it is believed to be the first of its kind targeting a parent of a school shooter. During his opening statements, prosecutor Marc Keast emphasized that Jennifer Crumbley was aware of her son’s declining mental health. He argued that only she and her spouse were privy to the potential threat Ethan posed and that he had access to a firearm.

Keast mentioned the names of the victims: Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling, and Hana St. Juliana, stating, "The evidence will show you that she didn’t pull the trigger, but she is responsible for those deaths. She failed to take multiple small and easy actions that could have averted this tragedy."

In her defense, Shannon Smith argued that Jennifer could not have anticipated her son would shoot his classmates. "Jennifer Crumbley was the mother of a 15-year-old son and had no indication that her son would ever take a gun to school or harm others," Smith explained. She also claimed it was James, not Jennifer, who was responsible for ensuring the gun was secured with a trigger lock.

Jennifer Crumbley plans to testify in her defense. Earlier this week, she requested that a judge compel her son to testify, but attorneys representing Ethan, who is appealing his life sentence, are contesting this request and intend to advise him to remain silent if called to the stand.

Gun safety advocates have expressed hope that the Crumbley trials will encourage parents nationwide to improve firearm security in their homes, noting that approximately 75% of school shooters acquired their weapons from within their own households.

Legal experts suggest that these parental trials are breaking new ground, as they challenge the accountability of parents in such cases. Prosecutors allege that James Crumbley purchased the 9mm handgun used in the Oxford High shooting just four days before the tragic event on November 30, 2021.

On the day of the shooting, a teacher found disturbing drawings by Ethan, which featured a gun, a bullet, and a bleeding figure, accompanied by phrases like "Blood everywhere," "My life is useless," and "The thoughts won’t stop – help me."

It has been reported that the Crumbleys were called to the school that morning and were informed that Ethan required immediate counseling and needed to be taken home. However, the parents reportedly resisted this course of action, failing to check his backpack or inquire about the firearm.

Subsequently, Ethan returned to class, walked out of a restroom with the gun, and opened fire, according to prosecutors.