The mother of a teenager who opened fire at a school in Michigan, killing four peers and wounding seven people, could be sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
For the first time in the United States, the mother of a killer is being tried: 45-year-old Jennifer Crumbley has been charged with manslaughter. The incident occurred in 2021 at Oxford High School, writes Air Force. A jury found her guilty of her child’s mass shooting and will be sentenced on April 9.
On November 30, 2021, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire at an Oxford school, killing four students and wounding seven others – six students and a teacher. Last year he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He did not testify against his mother.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that Jennifer Crumbley was responsible for the deaths caused by her son by being “grossly negligent” by giving the teenager a gun and failing to provide him with adequate psychiatric treatment.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Ethan Crumbley sought psychiatric help: He complained of hallucinations and saw “devils” and “ghosts” in the house. However, his parents ignored his complaints and did not seek medical help. Jennifer Crumbley denied her son had any problems.
On the morning before the school shooting, a meeting was held between the school administration and Ethan’s parents – the reason was his drawing of a gun and a bleeding man. But the parents interrupted the meeting to go to work and refused to take their son home. After this, the school administration sent Ethan to class without checking his backpack, and there was a gun in it. A few hours later, the teenager opened fire…
As it turned out later, the gun itself was a “Christmas gift” for Ethan. And three days before the massacre, he and his mother visited a shooting range where the guy learned to use a weapon.
Jennifer’s defense, meanwhile, argued that the blame lies with others. Specifically, her husband, who did not store his gun properly, and the school, which did not tell her about her son’s behavior problems. Ethan himself was also accused of planning and carrying out the attack with his own hands.
James Crumbley, Ethan’s father, will also not go unpunished – he will face a separate trial on the same charges. He pleads not guilty.
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