After seven days of testimony and a day and a half of deliberation, a jury has found Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the four students killed during the shooting: Madisyn Baldwin (17), Tate Myre (16), Justin Shilling (17), and Hana St. Juliana (14).
The ruling came on Tuesday afternoon and is the first time a parent has been sentenced for a mass shooting at the hands of their child. It could set a precedent for how parents are treated in such cases moving forward.
Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
During the trial, jurors heard from 21 witnesses, including Crumbley herself, and were tasked with determining whether or not the 45-year-old caused those deaths by “either failing to provide reasonable care or being grossly negligent in providing care,” according to a report by Channel 4.
According to reports by the Associated Press, the prosecution argued that Crumbley “had a duty under Michigan law” to prevent her son from doing harm to others and accused her of “failing to secure a gun and ammunition at home” and failing to get her son help for his mental health.
Crumbley reportedly told jurors keeping track of the gun was her husband’s responsibility and that she was unaware of mental distress her son was under.
The shooting at Oxford High School happened on Nov. 30, 2021, after Crumbley and her husband, James, were called to the school regarding concerning drawings and messages by their son, Ethan (then, 15).
The couple didn’t take their son home. He later pulled a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun, which was purchased by his father just four days earlier, and shot 10 students and a teacher.
Ethan Crumbley (now, 17) pleaded guilty to terrorism and murder charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole late last year. James Crumbley will face a separate trial for the same charges as his wife in early March.
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