PONTIAC, Mich. — A jury in Michigan is set to resume deliberations in the trial of James Crumbley, a father accused of being criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by his 15-year-old son, Ethan Crumbley. The jury heard closing arguments in a suburban Detroit court on Wednesday and deliberated for about 90 minutes before adjourning without reaching a verdict.
The tragic incident took place on November 30, 2021, when Ethan took a gun from his home and killed four students at Oxford High School. Prosecutors argued during the five-day trial that the gun, a newly acquired Sig Sauer 9 mm, was not properly secured in the Crumbley household. While Michigan did not have a storage law at the time, the prosecution contended that James had a legal duty to protect others from potential harm by his son.
Evidence presented in court highlighted Ethan’s deteriorating mental state leading up to the shooting. He had drawn a disturbing picture of a gun and a wounded man on a math assignment, along with alarming messages such as “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. Blood everywhere. The world is dead.” However, after a brief meeting at the school, Ethan’s parents declined to take him home and instead only accepted a list of mental health providers. They failed to inform school staff that a handgun similar to the one depicted in the drawing had been recently purchased.
No one had checked Ethan’s backpack, and he was able to retrieve the gun and begin shooting later that day. Prosecutors emphasized that while parents are not always responsible for their children’s actions, the circumstances of this case were exceptional and severe.
In a dramatic demonstration, the prosecution showed jurors how to use a cable lock to secure the gun used in the shooting. The unused cable was found in its package at the Crumbley residence. The victims of the Oxford High School shooting were Justin Shilling, Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana, and Tate Myre.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in the United States to face charges for the responsibility they hold in a mass school shooting involving their child. Jennifer was previously convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Ethan, now 17, is already serving a life prison sentence for murder and terrorism.
Defense attorney Mariell Lehman argued in her closing statements that James Crumbley had no knowledge that Ethan knew the whereabouts of the gun at home. She also suggested that school officials were more concerned about Ethan harming himself rather than others, interpreting his distressing drawing as expressions of sadness and the need for someone to talk to.
The jury will resume deliberations as they weigh the evidence and determine whether James Crumbley should be held criminally responsible for the tragic consequences of his son’s actions.