In a remarkable turn of legal affairs, the charges mounted against James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of a teenage shooter, have been steadfastly affirmed. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, was responsible for taking four young lives at Oxford High School in Michigan. Now, the Crumbley parents too will face the sound of justice for their alleged involvement in the school shooting, with trial proceedings on involuntary manslaughter charges to follow suit.
This case brings into unusual light the family of a school shooter, thereby setting an uncommon instance where prosecutors are potentially holding the parents accountable for the shooter’s actions.
The charges against the Crumbleys are grounded in accusations of their negligence towards their son’s mental health issues and their ill-conceived decision of granting the teenager unhindered access to firearms. After deliberation over the case, the state appeals court formally announced in March that the parents will face trial over the matter. A reaffirmation on this verdict followed from the Michigan Supreme Court in a concise, definitive order.
The job cut out for the prosecutors from suburban Detroit was to establish probable cause against the parents in order to commence a trial. With this feat achieved, the stage is now set for presenting a more detailed case before an Oakland County jury.
The tragic incident, which occurred in November 2021 at Oxford High, located roughly 40 miles north of Detroit, claimed the lives of Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, and Justin Shilling. Additionally, six students and a teacher sustained injuries during the shooting.
Ethan Crumbley, the teenage shooter, has pleaded guilty to the charges of terrorism and murder. Last week, in a critical development, a judge pronounced him eligible for a life sentence void of parole.
On the contrary, the defense lawyers representing the parents remain adamant on the notion that the tragic shooting could not have been foreseen. They admitted to faulty decisions on part of the parents but steady in their stance that such decisions do not qualify as involuntary manslaughter, which can result in a 15-year prison sentence at most.
Ironically, the teenager and his parents had a meeting with the school authority on the day of the shooting, owing to concerning violent drawings spotted by one of the teachers. Yet, their meeting did not prompt a bag-check, and the teen was allowed to continue as usual.
As a minor of 15 when the crime occurred, the teenage assailant is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 8. The judge presiding over this case holds the authority to choose a sentence that might someday make him a candidate for parole.
Remaining in custody since the shooting are the Crumbley parents. They have been unable to secure their release despite a $500,000 bond. They are held in the same facility as their son but are forbidden from making any contact with him.
The defense lawyers have not put forth any commentary regarding the Supreme Court’s order, justifying their silence with the existing gag order.
In a similar case in Newport News, Virginia, a mother was declared guilty of child neglect after her 6-year-old son used her firearm to wound a teacher.
With respect to the Michigan case, a meeting with the perpetrator was arranged for psychologist Colin King, who harshly described the teenager as a “feral child” neglected by his parents. Judge Kwamé Rowe hinted at a less than suitable home environment, rife with parental arguments and alcohol consumption. However, he also mentioned that the circumstances were not entirely dire.
The teenage shooter, as Rowe stated last Friday, seemingly came from a family that was loving and supportive. He enjoyed family vacations, had pet companions, and regularly had family visiting. Even the defendant himself confessed to having had a ‘good’ childhood.
