OXFORD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN: Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley's parents will now face manslaughter charges after the state’s highest court rejected the couple’s appeal, Reuters reports.
Ethan Crumbley, now 17, was 15 years old when he opened fire at the school on November 30, 2021. He has pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges related to the deadly rampage.
The Michigan Supreme Court rejected Jennifer Crumbley and James Crumbley’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that the Wolverine State’s involuntary manslaughter charges against them in connection with their son’s November 2021 attack on Oxford High School can stand.
What did the court say?
“On order of the court, the application for leave to appeal the March 23, 2023, judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered, and it is denied, because we are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this court,” the single-sentence ruling said.
The justices issued the same order in both cases. The Crumbleys have battled the Wolverine State’s criminal case every step of the way.
According to their defense attorneys, there is not enough of a causal link between the parents’ actions and their son’s attack on the school. They have also said that holding them criminally responsible would set a dangerous precedent.
The Crumbleys apparently knew their son was troubled
According to prosecutors, the Crumbleys knew their son was troubled. Besides, the parents were called to the school after teachers discovered disturbing and violent drawings he had made in a math workbook.
After meeting with school officials and their son, the parents ultimately left the school while Ethan Crumbley stayed behind.
Ethan, later opened fire on that day on his classmates, claiming the lives of students Tate Myre, 16 Hana St Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17.
He used a firearm that his parents had allegedly bought for him as a gift just days earlier.
Ethan Crumbley could potentially face a life sentence without the possibility of parole
Ethan Crumbley could potentially face a life sentence without the possibility of parole, Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe ruled last week. He pleaded guilty in October last year to all 24 charges against him, including murder and terrorism.
First-degree murder in Michigan carries a mandatory life sentence, although Rowe could have potentially considered a shorter term because of the defendant’s age when he carried out the attack.
