Verdict marks first time that a parent was criminally responsible for a school shooting by a minor

By Laney Konz, Staff Writer

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, was found guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter on Feb. 6 for failing to stop her son from carrying out the fatal shooting, who was 15 at the time of the shooting but is now 17.

Each count represented each victim who was killed in the shooting at Oxford High School in Nov. 2021: Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Hana St. Juliana.The shooting wounded seven additional students.

The jury deliberated for roughly 11 hours before coming to their ultimate decision. Crumbley’s sentencing is scheduled for April 9, where she faces up to 15 years in prison after being convicted on all four counts.

The conviction of Crumbley signals a shift in discussion surrounding school shooting prevention and overall steps toward protecting K-12 and college students, calling for parents of school shooters to take responsibility for their children’s actions. 

Crumbley’s criminal charges were more severe, a decision that the Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald made with difficulty. The decision was made due to the Crumbley parents’ perceived negligence in allowing their son to have a gun and ignoring warning signs about his mental state.

There were text messages shown in the trial between Ethan and Jennifer Crumbley that revealed her son’s developing mental health issues, such as his suggestion that their home was being haunted by a demon. Similar texts were sent by Ethan Crumbley to his friends detailing his struggles with insomnia, paranoia and battling voices.

Prior to the shooting, Jennifer Crumbley took her son to a shooting range where Ethan practiced shooting a semi-automatic firearm that his father purchased for him as a gift. This firearm, a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, was later used by Ethan Crumbley in the shooting. 

The alleged negligence of the Crumbley parents is also being related back to a state  law which states that Michigan minors are not allowed to possess guns, although there are limited exceptions. At the time, Michigan had no laws requiring owners to keep their guns locked away and out of the reach of minors. 

On April 13, 2023, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a new gun safety bill into law, which requires that guns be stored in a locked container or kept unloaded and locked with a trigger lock. The law also requires background checks to be conducted before an individual purchases firearms. This new law officially went into effect yesterday.

On the day of the shooting, Ethan Crumbley’s parents were called into the school by administration and the school counselor. He had written several words related to violence and suicidal thoughts on a math worksheet, which was then turned over to the school officials. The counselor shared concerns about Ethan Crumbley’s mental state, but they decided to allow him to remain at school for the rest of the day. In his backpack, which went unsearched, was the pistol used in the shooting.

Crumbley’s personal journal was examined in the trial. In it, he had drawn images depicting gun violence. The journal also contained a plan for causing bloodshed. 

“My parents won’t listen to me about help or a therapist,” he wrote in it. 

Shifting responsibility onto parents is a preventative measure being used by the judicial system in recent years. Several parents in other states have pleaded guilty to similar charges, which aim to hold parents accountable when they are suspected of enabling deadly violence committed by their children.

Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year. 

The father of the shooter, James Crumbley, will be tried separately in March, facing similar charges of involuntary manslaughter.