James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, will soon go on trial for involuntary manslaughter.
The charge was raised in relation to his son’s fatal actions that left four students dead and many others injured. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was recently convicted of a similar charge of involuntary manslaughter.
James Crumbley To Go On Trial On Charges Of Involuntary Manslaughter
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According to reports, James is set to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges following his son’s murder of four students at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, in November 2021.
James faces four counts of the charge, as does his wife, Jennifer, who was recently convicted. He is expected to be sentenced in April.
Charges have been filed against the two for ignoring warning signs before their son, Ethan, went on a gun rampage that led to the deaths of Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling.
All four victims were classmates and teenage friends of Ethan, with the oldest aged 17 and the youngest aged 14. Ethan was 15 when he committed the act. He also injured seven people in the process, including a teacher.
Why James And Jennifer Crumbley Are Charged In Michigan Shooting
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While charging a parent for a child’s crime is highly unusual, many details in the investigation reveal that James and his wife could have done more to prevent the incident.
As part of the report, Jennifer is believed to have played down an incident involving her son being caught looking for ammunition online at school just a day before he committed the act. She reportedly also told Ethan that she was “not mad” at him and advised him “to learn not to get caught.”
Furthermore, James and Jennifer allegedly refused to remove their son from school on the day of the incident after they were called immediately when Ethan was caught with several drawings of guns and people covered in blood.
It was also noted that the couple did not store the weapons properly, leaving them in an unlocked drawer that Ethan could easily access. Overall, the prosecution hopes the Crumbleys’ case will send a message about responsible gun ownership.
James Crumbley’s Possible Strategy For His Trial
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It is believed that James’ lawyer, Mariell Lehman, will try to portray him to the jury as sympathetic. However, it is not clear whether he will take action as his wife did during the trial.
Ahead of the trial, there was a mix of losses and wins for James’ lawyers in preparing his defense. One loss came from the judge denying Lehman’s request to block entries from Ethan’s writings from being admitted into evidence.
Another loss is classifying Ethan’s psychological records as privileged, meaning the defense can’t use them to show that the 15-year-old didn’t tell his father about his mental problems.
Meanwhile, the victory refers to the judge’s decision to increase the number of peremptory challenges, or strikes, that the defense and prosecution can use to reject potential jurors they deem unsuitable for the case.
Michigan shooter Ethan Crumbley is serving a life sentence in prison
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As for James and Jennifer’s son, he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, one count of violence causing death, and 19 other counts of going on a rampage with a firearm at Oxford High School in 2021.
During the trial, he briefly addressed the court and took responsibility for his fatal actions while promising to be a better person in prison.
“I am a very bad person. I have done horrible things that no one should do,” said Ethan, per NBC. “I’ve hurt a lot of people, and that’s what I did, and I don’t deny it, but that’s not what I planned.”
In December last year, he was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Despite being a minor at the time of the crime, the judge imposed the maximum sentence on him rather than opting for a minimum of 25 to 40 years in prison under state law.
He became the first minor to be sentenced to life in prison without parole after a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling deemed such measures unnecessary for juvenile offenders.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
