"Parents Also Responsible" Mother of Teen Involved in US Mass Shooting Found Guilty

First Case of Parental Criminal Liability in Child Gun Incident
Homeroom Teacher Recommended Early Leave and Mental Treatment but Was Rejected
"Parents Neglect Despite Son's Deteriorating Mental State"

The mother of a teenager who killed four other students in a mass shooting at a U.S. high school has been found guilty of murder. Although school shootings are frequent in the United States, this is the first time that a parent has been held criminally responsible in connection with their child's mass shooting incident. The verdict for the father, who was also charged with the same offense, is expected next month.

Jennifer Crumbley, who was found guilty of murder in connection with her son's high school shooting incident
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 6th (local time), Yonhap News reported on the 7th that The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) covered that a jury at the Oakland County Court in Michigan found Jennifer Crumbley (45) guilty of charges including involuntary manslaughter.

In November 2021, Crumbley's son, Ethan Crumbley, opened fire at Oxford High School in Oakland County, where he was a student, killing four students. Ethan, who was 15 at the time of the crime, was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced last year to life imprisonment without parole.

The prosecution charged Ethan's mother with murder on the grounds that she was aware of her son's intent to commit the crime but failed to take preventive measures, effectively aiding and abetting the crime.

On the day of the shooting, Ethan's homeroom teacher urgently called his parents after discovering that Ethan had drawn images of a handgun and a bleeding person in his math notebook, along with the words "The voices won't stop. Help me." The teacher advised the Crumbley couple that their son needed mental health counseling, but despite hearing the situation, they did not allow their son to leave school early. They also did not inform the school that they had recently bought a gun for their son as a Christmas present. After the couple left the school, Ethan carried out the shooting.

During the trial, the prosecution argued that "due to the parents' neglect, the son's mental health issues gradually worsened over a long period, ultimately leading to the shooting tragedy." The prosecution also submitted a diary as evidence in which Ethan wrote, "My parents ignore me when I say I need psychiatric counseling or help."

Crumbley claimed innocence, stating, "If my son had said he wanted to leave school early on the day of the incident, I would have taken him home, but the school gave him the choice without forcing him." She added, "We thought our son was not a threat." Crumbley's lawyer also argued in the final defense that "parents cannot be held responsible for all of their children's actions."

However, after 11 hours of deliberation, the jury concluded that the mother also bore responsibility for her child's mass shooting. The court plans to sentence her in April, with a maximum sentence of up to 15 years reportedly possible.

The verdict for the father, James Crumbley, who was charged with the same offense, is expected next month. He purchased the handgun used in the crime together with his son and did not lock the bedroom drawer where the gun was stored.

However, some U.S. legal experts have pointed out that this verdict, which recognizes direct parental responsibility for a child's mass shooting, is legally controversial. Jeffrey Schwartz, a professor at Michigan's Cooley Law School, told The Wall Street Journal, "If a child commits a crime using various items in the home, this could be grounds for holding the parents responsible as well."