Should parents be responsible for child’s mass shooting? Jury says yes.

A school shooter’s mother is headed to prison after a Michigan jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

The verdict, the first of its kind in America, puts the onus of responsibility on parents in a way that has never before been seen in a mass shooting case. The question of whether parents should be held accountable for the murders committed by their boys has reverberations that date back to the Columbine shooting in 1999. Those 13 deaths in Littleton, Colorado, are widely seen as the opening of a dark era in which American schools and towns have become shorthand for the mass murder of children: Sandy Hook, Parkland, Uvalde.

“We shall see the effect over time, but if this does not get overturned by a court of appeals – and of course I expect there to be robust appeal – it sets an approach to parental responsibility,” says Joshua Horwitz, a lawyer and co-director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “And I think over time, it could actually be a very important case.”

The jurors’ decision came Tuesday after heated testimony and roughly 11 hours of deliberations in a case that placed parental responsibility and culpability at its core. Should a parent be held criminally accountable for a school shooting? 

In the case of Jennifer Crumbley, whose son killed four students in Oxford, Michigan, in 2021, the jury decided yes. She was convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each child killed. Her husband, James Crumbley, will stand trial on the same charges in March.

The trial garnered widespread attention, given the severity of charges filed against the shooter’s parents, what the outcome portends for similar tragedies, and the nation’s ongoing battle with gun violence. In 2020, for the first time, firearm-related incidents were the No. 1 cause of deaths among children and teens. That was more than from car crashes, cancer, or COVID-19, according to the Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

As Ms. Crumbley’s trial unfolded about 30 miles outside of Detroit, the White House urged schools to promote safe firearm storage with their students’ parents and caregivers.

Mr. Horwitz likened the situation to a fatal drunken driving case: The defendant didn’t intend to kill anyone but engaged in reckless behavior that resulted in loss of life. Viewed through that lens, he says, the jury verdict did not surprise him.

“She was so reckless and so negligent that her activity rose to criminal activity,” he says.

The shooting happened on Nov. 30, 2021. Earlier that day, school officials summoned Ethan Crumbley’s parents to discuss his mental well-being. He had drawn images depicting a gun and bloodshed on an assignment. The boy, then 15 years old, returned to class after his parents chose not to take him home. Hours later, he began shooting, with a gun that he had hidden in his backpack the entire time.

A key fact emerged later: His parents had given him the gun days before the shooting and had taken him to a shooting range for practice.

What sets this case apart from others is that the parents directly provided their son with the gun, says Robert Leider, an assistant professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. 

That’s why Dr. Leider doesn’t see Ms. Crumbley’s conviction as a radical legal shift, in and of itself. However, he thinks it could set the stage for future courtroom debates about parental responsibility.

“The idea that if you don’t properly secure the gun, then you may be guilty of the crime – that would be the major game-changer,” he says. “That’s still another step away from this case.”

Legal precedent aside, the case put Ms. Crumbley on the stand for hours of testimony that delved into her parenting skills, missed warning signs, and an extramarital affair. Experts say her conviction alone could send a powerful message.

“Other parents will have to think hard about whether they bring guns into their homes and how they store them,” Mr. Horwitz says.

In December, Ethan received a life sentence without parole for killing Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Justin Shilling, 17; and Hana St. Juliana, 14. He also wounded seven others, including a teacher.

A sentencing hearing for his mother has been set for April 9. In Michigan, an involuntary manslaughter conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Although Ms. Crumbley is the first parent to be held responsible for a school shooting, she isn’t the only one to face criminal charges.

Last year, a Virginia mother was charged with felony child neglect after her 6-year-old son acquired her gun and shot his teacher. Abigail Zwerner survived her injuries after shepherding her first graders to safety. A judge sentenced the boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, to two years in prison followed by probation.

As for whether Ms. Crumbley’s husband, James, faces a similar verdict, legal analysts cautioned against assuming his case is a foregone conclusion.

“You think it’s open and shut, but you know, the wife has been convicted,” Mr. Horwitz says. “Maybe he points to her as the culprit.”