Jennifer Crumbley was convicted by a Michigan jury on Feb. 6, 2024, for not doing enough to deter her son, Ethan Crumbley, from shooting up his school on Nov. 23, 2021, killing four and injuring numerous others.
According to reputable news outlets like the Associated Press, the Washington Post and the Detroit Free Press, the jury found her guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter. The Detroit Free Press reported:
Jennifer Crumbley is guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a jury found Tuesday.
The case is the first time in America that prosecutors have sought to hold a parent criminally responsible for a school shooting carried out by their child.
Oakland County prosecutors charged Crumbley and her husband, James, who is scheduled for trial in March, each with four counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from their son’s rampage at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.
Oxford High School is located in Oxford, Michigan, about 45 miles north of Detroit.
The prosecutor's case was based around three facts:
1. Crumbley and her husband purchased the gun used in the shooting and gifted it to their son,
2. They did this despite knowledge of his poor mental health,
3. On the day of the shooting, the mother and father were called to the school by school administrators and asked to take their son home over concerns about his mental well-being. However, they declined to do so.
She could receive up to 15 years in prison for the charges, the first time a parent reportedly has faced criminal charges for a school shooting committed by their child.