Jennifer Crumbley verdict: Parents of school shooting victims react as killer’s mother is found guilty

“Today, my heart remains with the families of four of Oxford’s brightest lights - Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling - along with the extended Oxford community.”

“While their pain and grief can never be diminished, the guilty verdict is a strong signal and an important step toward accountability. Let us all embrace the community with love and the continued support they need on their path toward healing. I appreciate the hard work and talented efforts of Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and her team in this important case.”

This case was unprecedented, as it marked the first time a parent went on trial for their alleged role in a mass shooting carried out by their child.

The case could provide a blueprint for how others, beyond the shooter, could be charged over a mass shooting.

Crumbley’s husband James Crumbley is being tried separately in March. He has also pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Other parents have also faced criminal charges when their child has committed a shooting.

The mother of the Virginia six-year-old who shot his first grade teacher, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to 21 months in prison in November after she pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm while being a drug user and lying on a background check about her marijuana use when she bought the gun which was later used by her son.

In November, Robert Crimo Jr, the father of the Highland Park shooter, also pleaded guilty to seven counts of misdemeanour reckless conduct after his son opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in the Illinois suburb in 2022. His son was 21 at the time of the shooting.

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A Michigan jury has found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting, after she bought her teenage son a firearm and ignored multiple warning signs about his disturbing behaviour in the lead-up to the deadly attack.

Jurors reached the verdict on Tuesday morning after deliberating for more than 10 hours.

Crumbley, 45, had pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the case, one for each of the four classmates – Madiyson Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14 – murdered by her son.

Her son, Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced in December to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he shot and killed four of his classmates in the 30 November 2021 mass shooting.

The verdict handed down to the shooter’s mother is historic, as no parent has ever been charged, tried or convicted for their alleged role in a mass school shooting perpetrated by their child.

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Jennifer, 45, worked in marketing at a real estate firm and James, 47, worked for DoorDash, according to court documents.

During the meeting with Ethan and school administrators who suggested he leave school early hours before the shooting, filings suggest that Jennifer cited their jobs as reasons why he couldn’t come home.

The pair initially came under scrutiny for their strange behaviour in the aftermath of the shooting. Reports showed the couple drained their son’s bank account.

They withdrew cash, sold their horses, and bought four burner phones in the hours after finding out that their son had opened fire.

When they were arrested four days after the shooting, the couple reportedly had $6,600 in cash, credit cards, gift cards and four phones.

At the time, the Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said that “they started making plans”.

Jennifer texted someone that “she needed to sell her horses fast” and the couple “drained their son’s bank account” later that day, taking out $3,000 and leaving a mere 99 cents, Ms McDonald said.

The pair also checked into a hotel. The defence attorney told the jury on 25 January that the Crumbleys had been receiving “death threats” at their home, so they went to a hotel to seek refuge.

Fearful, the pair bought burner phones. The defence lawyer also explained to jurors that they bought two pairs of burner phones because they couldn’t access their bank accounts with their original burners, since they weren’t able to do the necessary two-factor authentication.

The Crumbleys then stayed at an artist studio, belonging to Jennifer’s friend, where they were arrested the next day, on 4 December. They were supposed to have turned themselves in on the afternoon of 3 December, but failed to do so, resulting in a manhunt.

The defence attorney told the court that the couple “weren’t hiding,” but “waiting for instructions” and they were “waiting to turn themselves in first thing Saturday morning, when arraignments take place”.

On the morning of the shooting, school staff had grown increasingly concerned after finding Ethan’s drawing, depicting a semiautomatic handgun pointing at the words “the thoughts won’t stop help me”.

The Crumbley parents were called in to meet with school staff and their son to discuss it.

While given the choice of whether to keep Ethan in school or take him home, the parents opted for him to return to class. He shot up his school hours later.

A videotaped interview in the hours after the shooting shows investigators asking the parents about this meeting.

Mr Crumbley says their son was “doodling on a test or a practice test,” seemingly referring to the disturbing drawing, when Ms Crumbley interrupts: “I think we probably should have a lawyer.”

Mr Crumbley then says: “I think we can speak to the cops.”

Later in the interview, Ms Crumbley is seen telling police that the school counsellor “didn’t seem worried” about the drawing and that Ethan could either stay at school or his parents could take him home.

“And I really wish we took him home,” she is heard admitting.

Mr Crumbley also says at the start of the interview that he is “freaking out” and asks for some water.

He later tells police that their 15-year-old is a “great kid,” adding that he “doesn’t get in trouble at school”.

When an officer tells the parents that they will need to talk to Ethan, an emotional Ms Crumbley is heard asking: “Why?... He’s never done anything bad”.

The interview also revealed that Ethan had texted his mother — telling her that he loved her — not long before he opened fire on his classmates.

During the interview, Mr Crumbley also shares details with police about where his son had gotten hold of the gun.

He says that the weapon was hidden in a gun case in an armoire and that the bullets were “in a completely different spot underneath some jeans”.

A jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter on 6 February, just two months after her son was sentenced to life without parole for killing four of his classmates: Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling.

After the verdict was read out in court, Shilling’s father Craig Shilling told reporters that it marks a “step toward accountability” in the case and sends a message that “all of this has to stop”.

“It was a long time coming, but it’s definitely a step toward accountability,” he said.

“It’s definitely going to resonate with me for a while,” he continued. “It’s not really about winning or losing. It’s about making it apparent that all of this has to stop in society.”

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A fire department captain who was having an affair with Jennifer Crumbley took the stand in her trial last week, revealing damning text messages exchanged between them after her son killed four classmates in the Oxford High School mass shooting.

Brian Meloche, a long-time friend of Ms Crumbley, told the court about his relationship with the convicted shooter’s mother, who is now on trial facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a landmark trial about parental responsibility. She has pleaded not guilty.

After her son Ethan Crumbley opened fire inside the Michigan high school, Ms Crumbley texted Mr Meloche that the massacre “could have been prevented,” according to a message revealed in court.

Other texts showed her describing the school’s response to Ethan’s disturbing behaviour – such as drawing a doodle of a mass shooting or searching online for ammunition – as “nonchalant”.

On the morning before the shooting, school administrators had called in the Crumbleys to discuss their son’s recent behaviour. The school staff gave the Crumbleys a choice: to take their 15-year-old home that day or to let him stay in school.

They chose to keep him in school, both allegedly citing that they had jobs to return to.

Despite telling school officials she had to return to work, Ms Crumbley had actually messaged Mr Meloche, saying that she could meet up with him, he testified.

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