The parents of Ethan Crumbley, the teenager who in 2021 opened fire at his high school in Oxford, Michigan, are going on trial for manslaughter in cases that will test the limits of who is responsible for a mass shooting.
James and Jennifer Crumbley have pleaded not guilty to four charges of involuntary manslaughter for their alleged roles in their son’s rampage, which left four students dead and seven others wounded. They face up to 15 years in prison.
They are standing trial separately. Opening statements in Jennifer Crumbley’s trial began Thursday, and James Crumbley’s trial is tentatively scheduled to start March 5.
In bringing manslaughter charges, prosecutors alleged the gunman’s parents are also responsible for the students’ deaths – a novel and unusual legal theory.
“Jennifer Crumbley didn’t pull the trigger that day, but she is responsible for those deaths,” Oakland County assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said in opening statements.
In particular, prosecutors accuse the gunman’s parents of disregarding the risks when they bought a gun for their son four days before the shooting, even though he was struggling with his mental health and contemplating violence. They also say the parents did not mention the gun to school officials in a meeting to discuss Ethan’s disturbing drawings just hours before the fatal shooting.
