Mother of Michigan school shooter convicted of manslaughter in unprecedented case

PBS NewsHour2024-02-06

ethan crumbley#guilty verdict jennifer crumbley#gun safety#gun violence#jennifer crumbley#mass shooting

31K views|5 months ago

💫 Short Summary

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the mass school shooting. This is the first time a parent has been convicted in a mass school shooting case. The conviction sets a precedent for parental responsibility in such incidents and raises questions about gun ownership and parental accountability for their children's actions. The case also has implications for widening the scope of blame and responsibility in similar situations, potentially impacting future lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

✨ Highlights

📊 Transcript

✦

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, has been found guilty on 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

00:00

Her son, Ethan, killed 4 students and injured 7 others in the 2021 school shooting.

She could face up to 60 years in prison and will be sentenced in April.

The prosecutor was able to convince the jury of her guilt by highlighting her failure to intervene despite troubling signs and facts.

This is the first time a parent has been convicted in a mass school shooting.

✦

The conviction of Jennifer Crumbley sets a precedent that could have implications for other parents of children involved in criminal activities.

01:28

The specific and general implications of the conviction are discussed.

The close facts between Jennifer Crumbley's case and her husband's upcoming trial are seen as ominous for his legal chances.

The case raises concerns for all parents who may now face increased scrutiny and potential legal action for their children's actions.

✦

Craig Schilling, father of victim Justin, emphasizes the importance of parents nurturing their children and prioritizing their mental health.

03:13

Parents cannot neglect their responsibility to take care of and nurture their children.

There are implications for gun-owning parents, especially regarding how they store and handle firearms in households with children.

✦

The case prompts a national debate about the role of guns in society and widens the scope of blame and responsibility.

05:21

Different attitudes towards guns in families are highlighted, from shock at gifting a gun to a mentally unstable youth to it being a normal part of life for some.

The case may lead to increased scrutiny and potential lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

Overall, the country will need to grapple with its perception of guns and how to address issues of blame and responsibility in the broader context.

00:00newshour,\" from weta studios in

00:01Washington and in the west from

00:02the Walter Cronkite school of

00:02journalism at Arizona state

00:03university.

00:04Geoff: For the first time ever,

00:08a parent has been convicted in a

00:10mass school shooting.

00:10Jennifer Crumbley today was

00:11found guilty on 4 counts of

00:12involuntary manslaughter.

00:13Her teenage son, Ethan killed 4

00:15students -- Madisyn Baldwin,

00:19Tate Myer, Hana St. Juliana and

00:26Justin shilling, and injured 7

00:26others in 2021 at oxford high

00:27school in Michigan.

00:29The gunman was sentenced to life

00:30in prison without parole in

00:30December.

00:31His mother now faces up to 60

00:32years in prison and will be

00:32sentenced in April.

00:34For more on the verdict and

00:36broader legal questions we turn

00:41to a law professor at the

00:44university of Michigan.

00:46Jennifer Crumbley told jurors it

00:48was her husband's

00:50responsibility.

00:51She said she saw no signs of

00:52mental distress in her son.

00:54How was the prosecutor able to

00:57convince the jury that she

01:01crossed into involuntary

01:02manslaughter?

01:02>> You were right in some ways

01:04that she tried to blame the

01:09empty chair, a defendant that is

01:10not around.

01:11Perhaps that's not surprising.

01:13This was meant to be a joint

01:16trial.

01:17Many speculated there had been

01:19some legal questions where one

01:20of them thought the other could

01:22be held more liable or painted

01:23in a worse light.

01:25Ultimately what Jennifer could

01:28not convince the jury of is that

01:30even given the legal principle

01:33that you are not responsible for

01:35someone else's acts, she had so

01:37many troubled moments and

01:40damming facts, when she walked

01:42out of that school house knowing

01:43her son had a gun and having had

01:46administrators ask if she wanted

01:49to take him home, that she could

01:52not have intervened somewhere

01:53along the way and saved for

01:55lives and seven others from

01:56injury.

01:56Geoff: These are the first

01:59parents in U.S. History to stand

02:01trial for a mask school

02:02shooting.

02:03James Crumbley, her husband,

02:06will be tried month.

02:08What precedent does her

02:09conviction set?

02:09>> You want to look at the

02:12specific and the general.

02:14For him, this is as big a punch

02:15to the gut as you can imagine.

02:21Obviously not just because his

02:22wife has been convicted, but

02:22given the closeness of the fact,

02:24it is ominous for his legal

02:24chances.

02:26I will be interested to see

02:28whether or not he decides to go

02:30to trial or decides there are

02:32some facts that are sufficiently

02:33distinguishing that he isn't

02:38looking at the same thing.

02:40Obviously a different case and

02:41different jury but close facts.

02:44For people more generally, both

02:47underscores how troubling the

02:50facts were but also underscores

02:52how worrying it might be for any

02:53set of parents.

02:55The parents who is working hard

02:56to keep their son out of gang

03:00violence, or keep their son who

03:00is struggling with drugs or

03:02alcohol from taking a joy ride

03:05and how that will play out once

03:08prosecutors have this new tool,

03:09is something that I think the

03:09defense really hope that juries

03:12would hold onto.

03:13Lastly, I want to point out that

03:14there going to be some people

03:14who are convicted that we never

03:17hear of, people who, with this

03:21precedent facing them, would

03:22rather plead a lesser charge now

03:23that prosecutors have this new

03:25tool in their arsenal.

03:25Geoff: Let's hear from Craig

03:27Schilling.

03:28He's the father of one of the

03:31victims, Justin, and he spoke to

03:33reporters after the verdict came

03:34in.

03:34>> Doing due diligence with your

03:38child, it is your choice to have

03:39a child, and you cannot choose

03:41to not take care of your child

03:44and not nurture your child.

03:47You cannot choose to take your

03:49own interests over your child,

03:51especially when it comes to

03:52mental health.

03:57Geoff: It raises the question of

03:57what you spoke to earlier, what

03:58this means for parents.

03:59I would I guess rephrase the

04:01question, what does this mean

04:02for gun owning parents in

04:03particular?

04:03>> Part of what's going on here

04:07is our deep divide in the

04:09country about the role guns play

04:12in our lives.

04:12I think there's some sort of

04:13families that heard you bought

04:13him a gun for an early Christmas

04:14gift, especially young man who's

04:15been struggling with mental

04:17health issues, and you did not

04:19keep it under lock and key?

04:22That for some families is

04:22shocking.

04:23Indeed, it led to Michigan

04:23passing new laws about gun

04:26storage.

04:26For other people, guns are much

04:28more part of their lives.

04:29Guns are kind of part of the

04:29background firmament, and it's

04:30frankly not unheard of, or even

04:32unusual to get your kids their

04:35first gun.

04:35I think we as a country are

05:21going to have to really wrestle

05:25with how we see guns.

05:32This case also represents an

05:34effort to widen the scope of

05:35blame and responsibility.

05:37What other implications might

05:38that have?

05:40>> Lisa recently an effort to

05:44issue lawsuits to file against

05:45gun manufacturers.

05:45I think there's a visible event,

05:49we wear -- wrestle with the

05:51question and this is

05:53unprecedented.

05:59>> Ekow yankah is a law

06:03professor at the university of

06:04Michigan.

06:05Thank you so much for your

06:05insights.

💫 FAQs about This YouTube Video

1. What is the verdict of the parent of the mass school shooter?

Jennifer Crumbley, the parent of the mass school shooter, was found guilty on 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan.

2. What are the potential implications of the parent's conviction in the mass school shooting case?

The parent's conviction sets a precedent and raises questions about parental responsibility, gun ownership, and widening the scope of blame. It may also have implications for future lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

3. How does the parent's conviction impact the legal responsibility of parents in school shootings?

The parent's conviction emphasizes the legal responsibility of parents in preventing school shootings and holding them accountable for their children's actions.

4. What are the key takeaways from the first parent conviction in a mass school shooting?

The key takeaways include the legal precedent set by the parent's conviction, the implications for parental responsibility and gun ownership, and the focus on preventing school shootings by holding parents accountable.

5. What role did the parent's knowledge of the gunman's mental distress play in the trial?

The parent's knowledge of the gunman's mental distress and the failure to intervene were key factors in the trial, highlighting the importance of parental awareness and intervention in preventing school shootings.

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