The charges against James and Jennifer Crumbley have been allowed to proceed, a historic decision by the Michigan Supreme Court. The Oxford school sho*oter’s parents, who are on trial for their alleged role in the deaths of four students who were tragically k*illed by their son in 2021, will go on trial.
Being the first case in American history where parents have been charged in connection with a mass school sho*oting, this one represents a major turning point. The goal of the prosecution is to make them answer for their actions, which include buying their son the gun used in the massacre and neglecting to notify the school about it when they were contacted about their son’s strange behaviour.
Background
On his math worksheet the morning of the sho*oting, Ethan Crumbley drew a gun and a picture of a ble*eding human body before the sho*oting. He wrote the troubling words, “The thoughts won’t stop,” to go with this drawing. Help me.
Following their discovery of the unsettling drawing, the school authorities contacted Ethan’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley.
The Crumbleys went back to work after the school meeting without telling anyone that they had bought their son a gun. They hadn’t disclosed that they owned firearms, but they had promised to look for assistance for him.
Two hours or so later, Ethan Crumbley broke out of a lavatory and opened fire on the school hallways. This act tragically claimed the lives of four students and injured seven more, including a teacher.
Two days after the sho*oting, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald stated, “While the sho*oter was the one who entered the high school and pulled the trigger, there (were) other individuals who contributed to the events on Nov. 30 and it’s my intention to hold them accountable as well.” McDonald was referring to the Crumbleys.
On the other hand, the defence contended that the charges were disproportionate and unfounded. They argued that these accusations could set a dangerous precedent that could make parents accountable for their children’s behaviour, which could have far-reaching effects on parents worldwide.
“Defence attorney Shannon Smith contended in earlier court filings that while “the temptation to stretch the law to fit the evil is an ancient one, and it must be resisted,” it is understandable to want to hold someone accountable for the tragedy that happened at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.
The district judge who first decided to move forward with the trial against the Crumbleys, according to the defence, abused her discretion. This argument has been made repeatedly. Her decision to charge the couple, they contend, was “clearly erroneous,” and it sets a dangerous precedent that might result in injustices.
The Crumbleys filed a case before the Michigan Supreme Court, arguing that there was insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution to prove their involvement in the students’ deaths. They maintained that their son, who had already entered a guilty plea to the k*illings the year before, was the only person responsible for the sad occurrences.
“It’s true that following every school sho*oting, the media and individuals impacted quickly highlight alleged “red flags” that the sho*oter’s family members may have overlooked. However, the reality is that one cannot foresee the unthinkable,” James Crumbley’s attorney Mariell Lehman stated in a Supreme Court filing.
On the other hand, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the Crumbleys were the only ones who could have stopped the sho*oting if they had given their son’s mental health the attention it needed. They claim that despite receiving no support from his parents, the boy’s mental state was rapidly deteriorating.
