Up to 15 years in prison: for the first time in the USA, the mother of a teenager who staged a school shooting was convicted
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In the United States, the mother of a teenager who in 2021 staged a shooting at a high school and killed four students was found guilty.
She was charged with involuntary manslaughter, the BBC and CNN reported.
45-year-old Jennifer Crumbley became the first mother in the United States to be convicted of a mass shooting committed by her child. The woman faces up to 15 years in prison.
On November 30, 2021, 15-year-old Ethan opened fire at a high school in Oxford, Michigan. During the shooting, he killed four students and wounded seven people – six students and a teacher.
| Jennifer Crumbley in the courtroom. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images |
Last year, Ethan was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He did not testify against his mother.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that Jennifer Crumbley was responsible for the deaths caused by her son. According to them, the woman showed “gross negligence”, because she gave the teenager a gun and did not provide him with proper psychiatric treatment.
At the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Ethan Crumbley wanted psychiatric help: he complained of hallucinations, saw “devils” and “ghosts” at home. However, his parents did not treat him. At the same time, Jennifer Crumbley denied the existence of problems in her son.
The morning before the shooting, there was a rally at the school over Ethan’s drawing of a gun and a man bleeding. However, his parents interrupted them to go to work and refused to take the boy home. After that, the school administration sent Ethan back to class without checking his backpack, which had a gun lying around. In a few hours, the teenager started shooting.
Also, the gun itself was a “Christmas present” for Ethan. Three days before the mass murder, they and their mother visited a shooting range where the teenager learned to use weapons.
At the same time, Jennifer’s defense argued that the blame lies with others. Specifically, her husband, who improperly stored a gun, and the school, which failed to inform her of her son’s behavior problems. Ethan himself was accused, having planned and carried out the attack himself.
James Crumbley, Ethan’s father, faces a separate trial on the same charges. He also pleaded not guilty.
We will remind, in 2022, 19 children and 2 adults died as a result of a shooting at an elementary school in the city of Euwald (Texas).
Read also: Aggression in teenagers: what are the reasons and what to do about it? 5 tips for parents
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