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A Michigan jury on Tuesday found a mother guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent her son’s shooting attack that killed four and injured seven others at Oxford High school in 2021, marking the first time a parent has been tried and convicted for a school shooting committed by their child.
Jennifer Crumbley, 45, faces up to 60 years in prison — 15 for each count — and will be sentenced on April 9. Her husband James Crumbley, 47, faces the same charges and will be tried in March.
Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17; were killed and seven others were injured after Ethan Crumbley, now 17, opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan more than two years ago. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The couple, who attempted to flee after reports surfaced that they would be charged for the mass shooting, have been in jail since Dec. 3, 2021. Both parents denied being aware of their son’s plans and have repeatedly blamed each other for the shooting.
Defense attorneys have described the case and its potential ramifications as “dangerous” for parents across the country who could face criminal consequences for their children’s violent actions.
But University of Michigan law professor Eve Primus said the outcome of this case will not open the floodgates for similar charges in the future. “Nothing about this case changes the legal standard for involuntary manslaughter,” she said.
Primus said manslaughter charges are difficult for prosecutors to prove because the standard “beyond a reasonable doubt” is much higher. But several facts found during the trial — including the teen having a gun the night before the shooting and his parents being called in the next morning but refusing to take him home — demonstrated gross negligence and indifference in preventing the tragedy.
“When there is a mass shooting, there’s a huge desire for accountability because most other legal systems have not stepped in to fill that void,” Primus said.
But she added that the Crumbley case may not be completely a step in the right direction, especially due to the tension of the teen being tried as an adult in his trial and as a child in his mother’s trial.
Anti-gun violence advocates celebrated the verdict, stating that parenting like the Crumbleys is the reason why 76 percent of school shooters under 18 obtain their firearms from home.
“Plain and simple, the deadly shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 should have — and could have — been prevented had the Crumbleys not acquired a gun for their 15-year-old son,” Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “This decision is an important step forward in ensuring accountability and, hopefully, preventing future tragedies.”
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