Jennifer Crumbley awaits verdict in first parental accountability trial for Oxford High School shooting

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Jurors began deliberations on Monday, February 5, to determine whether Jennifer Crumbley bears criminal responsibility for the devastating events that unfolded in 2021, when her son, Ethan Crumbley at the age of 15, opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan, claiming the lives of four students and injuring several others.

At 45 years old, she faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, having pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the November 30, 2021, Oxford High School shooting.

First-time parents charged in connection with mass shooting orchestrated by their child

Ethan, now 17, was sentenced to life in prison last year after pleading guilty to multiple counts of first-degree murder and additional charges.

This case stands as the first instance where parents have been charged in connection with a mass shooting orchestrated by their child.

Prosecutors contend that Jennifer displayed negligence by providing her son with a firearm, despite his displaying signs of mental distress leading up to the tragic incident.

Text messages exchanged between mother and son were presented in court, revealing Ethan's assertions of seeing a demon in the family's home and expressing his belief that it was haunted.

Jennifer countered, asserting that these texts were part of an ongoing family joke rather than indicators of a mental breakdown. During her testimony, she emphasized that her son never sought help for his mental health from either her or her husband.

However, texts from Ethan to a friend suggested that he felt dismissed when he asked his mother to take him to a doctor.

Jennifer acknowledged that her son was grieving the recent loss of his grandmother and a family dog but vehemently denied any manifestation of signs of depression.

Jennifer Crumbley ignored her son's mental health pleas

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald emphasized that proving Jennifer knew her son would commit the school shooting is not required.

“I have to prove that she had a legal duty, she negligently performed that legal duty, she negligently did not take steps to take care and protect the other children in that school when there was a reasonable foreseeability that ordinary care was required — the smallest of things,” she claimed.

On the day of the shooting, the Crumbleys were summoned to the school after a teacher discovered disturbing drawings on Ethan's math assignment, including images of a gun and chilling phrases like "blood everywhere" and "the thoughts won't stop. Help me."

McDonald argued that Jennifer had alternative options, such as taking him home or informing the school about the firearm.

School failed to recognize Ethan Crumbley's disturbing signs of violence

Testimonies from school officials underscored numerous warning signs leading up to the tragedy, such as an autobiographical poem by Ethan in which he referred to his family as "a mistake" and instances of researching bullets during class.

Jennifer's attorney, Shannon Smith, contended that school officials failed to communicate most of these issues to her, as per Wxpi.

Smith portrayed her as a parent doing her best and argued that the shooting was an unforeseeable event. She urged jurors to acquit, not only for Jennifer but for every mother navigating the challenges of parenting.

The defense characterized the Crumbleys as a close-knit family that played and joked together, with Ethan showing no outward signs of needing help or exhibiting mental illness, contradicting the prosecution's claims.

“He’s had no history of hallucinations,” she stated. “He has never shown his parents signs of mental illness. He certainly never showed signs of mental illness wanting to get a gun.”

Authorities have also charged Jennifer'd husband, James Crumbley, with four counts of manslaughter in connection with their son's actions. He is scheduled to face a jury in March.