2024-03-14 23:38:04
7:13 pm ET, March 14, 2024
Parents have been charged for shootings by their kids before — but the Crumbley cases are unprecedented
From CNN’s Eric Levenson
A jury has reached a verdict in the involuntary manslaughter trial of James Crumbley, and we’re waiting for their verdict to be read in court. A jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of manslaughter after her son killed four students at a Michigan high school in 2021.
There have been several other cases before in which parents were charged for shootings carried out by their children, though not one in a school mass shooting.
For example, the father of the July 4 mass shooter in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, was accused of wrongdoing for signing his son’s application for an Illinois Firearm Owners Identification card months after his son displayed concerning behavior. The father, Robert Crimo Jr., ultimately pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct charges and agreed to serve 60 days in jail.
In a similar vein, the mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher at a Virginia school last year faced charges. The boy’s mother ultimately pleaded guilty to a state child neglect charge and felony charges of unlawful use of a controlled substance while possessing a firearm and making a false statement while purchasing a firearm.
But, the level of severity in the case of shooter Ethan Crumbley’s parents is different. In a written opinion filed last Marcha panel of judges for the state’s appellate court acknowledged the possible precedent-setting nature of these cases but called the situation unique and unusual.
Joey Jackson, a CNN legal analyst, said the prosecution’s broad goal in bringing these cases was to deter other parents.
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