What’s next for Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of the Michigan school shooter?
The mother of a Michigan school shooter is the first parent in the U.S. to be found criminally responsible for a mass school attack conducted by their child, even though she didn't pull the trigger
PONTIAC, Mich. • A conviction in the unprecedented trial of a Michigan school shooter’s mother will stand as a milestone to law enforcers across the U.S. as well as a stark reminder to parents with guns in their home.
But experts who followed Jennifer Crumbley’s involuntary manslaughter case note that events related to the Oxford High School attack were extraordinary and might not match other cases where parental blame could be weighed.
“I’m not a big believer that any one conviction creates some sort of landslide effect,” said Detroit-area lawyer Margaret Raben, the former leader of a statewide association of defense attorneys.
“Prosecutors bring charges they think they can prove,” she said. “The facts are horrible. I don’t know Jennifer Crumbley. But it’s fair to say a lot of people were alarmed at the way she was parenting this kid — or not parenting.”
What happened?
The parents of Ethan Crumbley, were summoned to his school on Nov. 30, 2021, to discuss the 15-year-old’s violent drawing on a math assignment with desperate phrases: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. My life is useless.”
The school’s concern was that he might be suicidal, not that he was a threat to others. His parents declined to take him home and instead said they would look at a list of mental health services. A few hours later, Ethan Crumbley pulled a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun from his backpack and began firing. No one had checked the bag. He shot 11 people, killing four students.
The shooter, now 17, pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.
Parents pursued
A jury in Oakland County, Mich., convicted Jennifer Crumbley, 45, of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday. Prosecutors argued that she was grossly negligent in not securing the gun and had a legal duty to prevent her son from harming others, even if she didn’t know his specific plan.
James Crumbley took him to a gun shop four days before the attack and bought the Sig Sauer, which the teen called his “beauty.” Jennifer Crumbley took him to a gun range that same weekend, buying 100 rounds of ammunition.
Those facts were not shared with school officials during the meeting on the day of the shooting, according to trial testimony. Jennifer Crumbley told jurors it was “irrelevant.” She said she saw no signs of mental distress and pinned responsibility for gun storage on her husband.
The sentence
The maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years in prison. Matthews’ job on April 9 will be to set the minimum term to be served before Jennifer Crumbley is eligible for parole.
That minimum could be as high as 10 years, said Raben, adding that the sentences on four convictions would likely be served at the same time and not stacked.
As she considers a sentence, the judge undoubtedly will think about Jennifer Crumbley’s testimony in which she expressed no regrets about how she dealt with her son and the school on the day of the shooting. “We did lose a lot,” she said, summing up the tragedy.
“The message that sent to parents, the victims, the jurors was incredible,” said Richard Convertino, a former federal prosecutor who watched the seven-day trial.
Father’s trial
James Crumbley, 47, faces his own involuntary manslaughter trial on March 5.
He, too, will be confronted with evidence that he didn’t do enough to help his son before the shooting. Jurors will see images of him and Ethan buying the gun.
Prosecutors also have a crucial piece of evidence: A call to 911 that implies he quickly figured his son could be the shooter at Oxford High.
“I raced home just to, like, find out, and I think my son took the gun. I don’t know if it’s him. I don’t know what’s going on. I am really freaking out. My son’s name is Ethan Crumbley,” he said on that call.
Defendant Jennifer Crumbley, left, and her attorney Shannon Smith react to the unanimous verdict of guilty of involuntary manslaughter on all counts at the conclusion of her trial in the courtroom of Judge Cheryl Matthews at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Mich., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
Defendant Jennifer Crumbley exits the courtroom after the jury’s unanimous verdict of guilty of involuntary manslaughter on all counts at the conclusion of her trial in the courtroom of Judge Cheryl Matthews at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Mich., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.