Current:Home > NewsJames Crumbley is up next as 2nd parent to stand trial in Michigan school shooting -Visionary Wealth Guides
James Crumbley is up next as 2nd parent to stand trial in Michigan school shooting
View
Date:2025-04-11 21:07:01
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A man who purchased a gun with his son four days before a Michigan school shooting is headed to trial, accused of failing to take steps that could have prevented the teen from killing four students and wounding others.
No one says James Crumbley knew what Ethan Crumbley planned to do at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. But prosecutors allege that his “gross negligence” was a cause of the violence.
It is the second act for prosecutors: the shooter’s mother Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of the same involuntary manslaughter charges a month ago. They are the first U.S. parents to be charged with having criminal responsibility in a mass school shooting committed by a child.
Jury selection in James Crumbley’s case began Tuesday with more than 300 people summoned to Oakland County court, north of Detroit, to fill out a one-page questionnaire and await a possible call-up to the courtroom.
“I don’t think it’s overreach,” Rick Convertino, a Detroit-area defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said of the trials.
“I think the prosecution did an excellent job in putting the links of the chain together” during Jennifer Crumbley’s case, Convertino said. “What led to the horrific shootings could easily have been prevented by simple and ordinary care.”
James Crumbley, accompanied by 15-year-old Ethan, purchased a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021. The boy called it his “new beauty” on social media. His mother, also on social media, described the gun as a Christmas gift and took Ethan to a shooting range.
A few days later, the parents went to Oxford High to discuss a violent drawing on Ethan Crumbley’s math assignment, which was accompanied by tormented phrases: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. The world is dead. My life is useless.” There was a gun on the paper that looked similar to the Sig Sauer.
The parents “chose silence” instead of disclosing the gun purchase and a visit to the shooting range, assistant prosecutor Marc Keast said in a court filing.
The Crumbleys didn’t take Ethan home, and the school didn’t demand it. But the parents departed with a list of area mental health services. School counselor Shawn Hopkins said Jennifer Crumbley cited her work as the reason to keep her son in class.
“I don’t remember James speaking on that topic,” he testified.
No one — the parents or school staff — checked the boy’s backpack for a gun, and the shooting happened that afternoon.
James Crumbley called 911, frantically saying, “I think my son took the gun.”
Convertino predicts the call will be “extraordinary, powerful evidence” for prosecutors, who will argue that the father failed to safely store the gun and ammunition.
Defense lawyers, however, said the parents could not have foreseen a mass shooting.
The case “begs the question of when a parent will cross the subjective line of ‘good parenting’ and render himself or herself criminally liable for the independent acts of a teenager,” Mariell Lehman and Shannon Smith said in a court filing.
Ethan, now 17, is serving a life prison sentence for murder and terrorism. He told a judge when he pleaded guilty that his money was used to buy the gun and that the weapon was not locked at home.
Jennifer Crumbley returns to court for her sentence on April 9. Her minimum prison term could be as high as 10 years.
Both parents have been in jail for more than two years. They were unable to post a bond of $500,000 each, following their arrest at a friend’s art studio in Detroit. They insisted they were not trying to flee.
___
Follow Ed White on X, formerly Twitter: @edwritez
veryGood! (6)
Related
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Harvey Weinstein's 2020 Rape Conviction Overturned by Appeals Court
- Can you prevent forehead wrinkles and fine lines? Experts weigh in.
- Florida man gets 4 years in prison for laundering romance scam proceeds
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- It's Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day: How to help kids get the most out of it
- 8 years after the National Enquirer’s deal with Donald Trump, the iconic tabloid is limping badly
- Instagram fraudster ‘Jay Mazini’ has been sentenced for his crypto scheme that preyed on Muslims
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- TikTok has promised to sue over the potential US ban. What’s the legal outlook?
Ranking
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- 5 things workers should know about the new federal ban on noncompete agreements
- Medical plane crashes in North Carolina, injuring pilot and doctor on board
- Connecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertain
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Chinese student given 9-month prison sentence for harassing person posting democracy leaflets
- Amazon cloud computing unit plans to invest $11 billion to build data center in northern Indiana
- Tennessee would criminalize helping minors get abortions under bill heading to governor
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Watch 'The Office' stars Steve Carell and John Krasinski reunite in behind-the-scenes clip
Arkansas panel bans electronic signatures on voter registration forms
Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan Has Regal Response to Criticism Over Outfit Choice
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Is cereal good for you? Watch out for the added sugars in these brands.
Looking for cheaper Eras Tour tickets? See Taylor Swift at these 10 international cities.
Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' reaches 1 billion Spotify streams in five days