Who is Jennifer Crumbley? First US parent to be convicted of manslaughter for her child's mass shooting crime

In the United States, a jury has, for the first time, found a parent guilty of failing to stop their child from committing a crime. 45-year-old Jennifer Crumbley has become the first US parent to be convicted of manslaughter over a mass shooting carried out by her son Ethan in November 2021.

Who is Jennifer Crumbley?

Jennifer Crumbley is the mother of 17-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who on 30 November 2021, went on a shooting spree in his school at Oxford High School in Michigan.

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The teenager, who was 15 years old at the time of the attack, killed four of his classmates and injured seven others.

Jennifer was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths, each of which, as per the BBC, carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

She has been convicted on all four counts and is set to be sentenced on April 15th.

Unprecedented case

This is the first time in American history that parents are on trial over their child's crime. Shooter Ethan Crumbley's father James, 47, is also facing charges of manslaughter in a separate trial.

While the mother is the first parent to go on trial for a mass shooting carried out by their child, the father James will go on trial in March.

The shooter, Ethan, pleaded guilty during his trial and is serving a life sentence for his crimes.

Amid America's gun epidemic, a huge number of deadly firearms incidents involve young people. Due to this, pressure has been mounting to punish parents who knowingly or unknowingly make it possible for their children to get weapons.

Can parents be blamed for their children's crimes?

Prosecutors argue that the tragic shooting could have been avoided if the parents had paid attention.

In her closing arguments, prosecutor Karen McDonald, as quoted by AFP, told the jury that Jennifer failed to "exercise ordinary care when the smallest, tragically simple thing could have prevented it."

"She could have locked the ammunition. She could have locked the gun," said McDonald, adding "She could have told the school they had just gifted him a gun."

"She could have told the school about her son being in crisis previously and asking for help."

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However, Jennifer Crumbley's lawyers argue that she is being unfairly blamed. Her defence attorney Shannon Smith contends that Crumbley cannot be held accountable for her son's actions.

"No one could have expected this," she stressed.

"Can every parent really be responsible for everything their children do?"

"This case is a very dangerous one for parents out there," added Smith.

Previously, during her testimony, Jennifer had sought to blame her husband for the onerous blunder. She testified that her husband brought their son to a gun store the day after Thanksgiving and bought him a gun as a gift.

When asked who was responsible for storing the gun, she said "My husband is", and said that she "didn't feel comfortable" being responsible for safely storing the gun.

(With inputs from agencies)