Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley, enters the courtroom in Oakland County Circuit Court on Monday in Pontiac, Mich.
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Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley, enters the courtroom in Oakland County Circuit Court on Monday in Pontiac, Mich.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
The mother of a Michigan teenager who killed four fellow students and wounded seven others during a mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 was convicted Tuesday in connection with her son’s crimes.
The jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. It’s believed to be the first time a parent has been tried for manslaughter in connection with a mass shooting conducted by their child. The case could set a legal precedent of holding parents criminally responsible for their children’s actions.
Crumbley’s husband, James, is scheduled to go on trial next month on identical charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors said Jennifer and James Crumbley ignored signs that their son was seriously troubled, bought him the handgun he used in the school shooting and didn’t take steps to prevent the mass shooting from occurring.
Jennifer Crumbley testified on her own behalf during the trial, saying she never thought her son would be a killer and could not have foreseen his actions.
Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced late last year to life without the possibility of parole.
This story originally appeared on NPR
