The parents of the 15-year-old boy who murdered four and injured half a dozen others during a Michigan school shooting last week have been arrested and charged after it was revealed that they bought him a handgun for Christmas and ignored warning signs, the Mirror reports. Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of suspect Ethan Crumbley, pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter and could face decades in prison if convicted.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office
- Ethan’s parents went on the run after the shooting. Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald told a court hearing that the couple withdrew $4,000 from an ATM machine and attempted to go on the run. Authorities say they remain a flight risk if they’re allowed to leave custody. The judge set bail at $500,000 for each of them, saying: “These are not people that we can be assured will return to court on their own.” They were found hiding in a commercial building on the city’s east side.
- Jennifer knew exactly what her son was up to. She was found to have told her son: “LOL, I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught” after a teacher at his school caught him searching for ammunition online.
- Both Jennifer and James failed to act. On the morning of the shooting, a teacher is said to have found a drawing by Eathan that showed a handgun, a bullet, and a bleeding body next to the words: “Blood everywhere,” “My life is useless,” and, “The thoughts won’t stop – help me.” School authorities called Ethan’s parents and ordered them to get him into counseling within 48 hours but they “resisted” the idea of taking him home and refused to search his backpack or ask about the gun. He went back to class and later opened fire, killing four students and wounding seven others.
- Ethan’s parents bought him a handgun as a Christmas gift. That’s one of the offenses authorities are concerned about, as well as claiming that they clearly ignored warning signs their son was displaying in the weeks leading up to the shooting and on the day itself. Four days before the shooting, Ethan’s father James bought a 9mm handgun, though it’s unclear whether this was the weapon used in the shooting.
- Ethan is being held without bail. He’s being charged as an adult for carrying out the deadliest school shooting of 2021 at Oxford High School, roughly 40 miles north of Detroit. Preliminary hearings for his parents are due to take place on December 12 and December 14, respectively.
