Jennifer Crumbley, bThe mother of the teenager who shot four students at a Michigan school in 2021 has been convicted of negligent homicide. This is the first time in the United States that a parent of a shooter has been convicted on personal responsibility grounds. A jury in Pontiac found the woman guilty in the high-profile case. She now faces a prison sentence of up to 15 years and the sentence will be announced in April.
Serious allegations were made against the parents of gunman Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the crime, for purchasing the murder weapon and allowing their underage son access to it. They also allegedly ignored warnings from the boy’s school environment. The 45-year-old mother pleaded ‘not guilty’ during the trial. Her husband is due to appear in court in March.
Son sentenced to life imprisonment
The son himself had pleaded guilty to all 24 charges. Last year he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ethan Crumbley did not testify in his mother’s trial. The teenager opened fire with a Sig Sauer pistol at his school in the small town of Oxford, north of Detroit, in November 2021. He killed four classmates and injured six other students and a teacher. The victims at Oxford High School were between 14 and 17 years old.
The parents were called to school on the day of the crime because drawings of the then 15-year-old with violent fantasies were found. They allegedly refused to take their son home – and also did not check whether the teenager had the gun with him. A short time later, the teen fatally opened fire. During the trial, the mother explained that her husband had purchased the gun for her son. She emphasized that she never had any reason to believe the teenager was capable of such a violent act. “I wish he’d killed us instead.”
‘Could have locked up weapons’
In her closing argument, prosecutor Karen McDonald accused the mother of “failing to exercise due diligence.” “She could have put the ammunition away. “She could have locked up the gun,” McDonald emphasized. Defense attorney Shannon Smith argued her client could not be held responsible for her son’s actions. No one could have predicted this, she said.
The case has brought renewed attention to the issue of parents’ responsibility for the actions of their children. It is rare for parents to be charged and convicted for such acts of violence by minors in schools. While parents have sometimes been held responsible for negligent behavior in the past, this appears to be the first time a parent of a juvenile shooter has been found guilty of negligent homicide. The twelve-member jury reportedly deliberated for more than ten hours.
There are repeated school shootings
Deadly school and college shootings continue to occur across the United States. Gun laws in the United States vary by state, but firearms such as pistols and assault rifles are usually relatively easy to obtain. Stricter gun laws usually fail because of Republicans in Congress and the powerful gun lobby. US President Joe Biden has promised measures to curb gun violence, but so far without concrete results.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
