In 2021, Ethan Crumbley, then aged 15, entered his high school with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun and fired between 15 to 20 shots. He killed four people, and injured several others. Later that year he pled guilty to 24 counts of felony, including a count of terrorism. He is currently serving his life-long sentence in prison. However, what is far more important for the future of school shootings is that now Ethan’s mother Jennifer Crumbley has just been found guilty of manslaughter for the deaths that her son committed, and next month her husband—Ethan’s father—will also be tried. This is the first time a parent has been found responsible for their child’s school-shooting, and sets a precedent for holding parents accountable for their children.
In the past, parents have been tried and found guilty for misdemeanors or child negligence when their kids committed a shooting. However, never before has a parent been found guilty for manslaughter when their child committed a murder in this context. The difference between murder and manslaughter is dependent on intent, if you accidently kill someone it’s manslaughter. What made this case special is that the prosecution was able to prove that Jennifer Crumbley had ignored her son’s obvious fall into depression.
Over the course of the trial, the prosecution presented much evidence supporting that Mrs. Crumbley had ignored the state of depression her son had fallen into. This evidence included text messages, in which Ethan’s parents ignored him admitting that he felt depressed. Furthermore, despite that Ethan was clearly not in a right state of mind, James Crumbley bought his son a gun. Moreover, the same day of the shooting, the Crumbley parents were called into school to discuss a test paper on which Ethan had drawn violent images, and did not inform the school that Ethan had a gun. The test paper had a gun on it, a body with gun wounds and several messages such as “Blood everywhere” and “My life is useless.” Beyond the prosecution, Jennifer was preoccupied with an affair and her horses during the year in which Ethan’s mental state became particularly unstable.
In response, Jennifer Crumbley’s attorney quoted Taylor Swift in her opening statement, and has according to the Wall Street Journal become a “TikTok phenomenon” due to her defensive tactics that include recounting stories of her own parenting and drinking problem.
Obviously, the jury found the defense lacking, and Crumbley has been found guilty of 4 counts of manslaughter and will be sentenced in April. Various law experts and anti-gun NGOs believe that this could be a landmark case to make parents be far more careful with allowing their kids near weapons. In short, if you might be sent to prison, you’re going to make sure your kid is healthy, and nowhere near a weapon. Part of Crumbley’s defense was that this could set a dangerous precedent such that all parents whose kids participate in shootings would be held responsible. Proponents of the precedent argue that this would only apply where parents committed acts of gross negligence, and knowingly let their children commit such acts.
James Crumbley’s trial is next month, and until the end of that trial, neither side can make comments to the press.
