The second parent to face trial in the Michigan school shooting is James Crumbley.?1

The second parent to face trial in the Michigan school shooting is James Crumbley.

In Pontiac, Michigan, a man who purchased a gun with his son just four days before a tragic school shooting is now set to face trial. James Crumbley stands accused of neglecting crucial actions that could have potentially averted the devastating incident in which his son, Ethan Crumbley, killed four students and injured others at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021.

While there is no indication that James Crumbley was aware of Ethan’s intentions, prosecutors contend that his “gross negligence” played a role in the violence. This marks the second prosecution in this case, as Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of the same involuntary manslaughter charges a month ago. The Crumbleys are the first parents in the United States to face criminal responsibility charges in connection to a mass school shooting committed by their child.

Jury selection for James Crumbley’s case is set to commence on Tuesday in Oakland County, situated north of Detroit.

Expressing his perspective on the trials, Rick Convertino, a defense attorney from the Detroit area and former federal prosecutor, remarked, “I don’t think it’s overreach.” He commended the prosecution for effectively establishing the connections during Jennifer Crumbley’s trial, stating, “What led to the horrific shootings could easily have been prevented by simple and ordinary care.”

During the Thanksgiving weekend in 2021, James Crumbley, accompanied by his 15-year-old son Ethan, purchased a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun. Ethan proudly referred to it as his “new beauty” on social media, while his mother, also on social media, characterized the gun as a Christmas gift and took Ethan to a shooting range.

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Shortly thereafter, the parents visited Oxford High School due to concerns about a disturbing drawing on Ethan’s math assignment, accompanied by troubling phrases like “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me. The world is dead. My life is useless.” The drawing included an image resembling the Sig Sauer.

Instead of revealing the gun purchase and the shooting range visit, the parents “chose silence,” as stated by assistant prosecutor Marc Keast in a court filing. Despite the alarming content, the Crumbleys did not take Ethan home, and the school did not insist on it. However, the parents left with a list of local mental health services. When discussing keeping her son in class, Jennifer Crumbley cited work as the reason, according to school counselor Shawn Hopkins.

“I don’t recall James addressing that topic,” he testified.

Neither the parents nor the school staff inspected the boy’s backpack for a gun, and the shooting unfolded later that afternoon.

In a frantic 911 call, James Crumbley exclaimed, “I think my son took the gun.”

Defense attorney Rick Convertino anticipates that this call will be “extraordinary, powerful evidence” for the prosecutors, who will argue that the father failed to securely store the gun and ammunition.

However, the defense contends that the parents could not have foreseen a mass shooting. In a court filing, attorneys Mariell Lehman and Shannon Smith raised the question of when a parent becomes criminally liable for the independent actions of a teenager, stating, “The case begs the question of when a parent will cross the subjective line of ‘good parenting.'”

Ethan, now 17, is serving a life prison sentence for murder and terrorism. He admitted in court that his money was used to buy the gun, and the weapon was not secured at home.

Jennifer Crumbley is scheduled for sentencing on April 9, with a potential minimum prison term of up to 10 years.

Both parents have been in jail for over two years, unable to post a $500,000 bond each, following their arrest at a friend’s art studio in Detroit. They maintained that they were not attempting to flee.