In the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Oxford High School, where 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley took the lives of four of his classmates in November 2021, a pivotal legal decision looms over his parents.

The Michigan Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that they had declined an appeal from James and Jennifer Crumbley, thus endorsing a prior decision that the couple could potentially stand trial for involuntary manslaughter charges.

The Supreme Court declined the Crumbley’s appeal, stating that judges “are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this Court.”

This move has set a potential precedent as parents’ accountability in their children’s crimes becomes more widely discussed in the wake of multiple school mass shootings.

At the heart of this case is the question of whether parents should bear legal responsibility for their child’s actions, especially when indicators might have been present.

Both James and Jennifer face four counts of involuntary manslaughter. The evidence presented against them encompasses alarming text messages that suggest they may have turned a blind eye to their son’s evident struggles during the year leading up to the dreadful incident.

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Moreover, Jennifer made a post on Facebook revealing that the couple had gifted a firearm to their son for Christmas.

Compounding the case for the parents, on the day of the tragedy, the couple had been called into the school due to Ethan being found with violent sketches during class. According to prosecutors, despite the school’s recommendation to take Ethan home, the Crumbleys decidedly chose not to.

Mere hours following this decision, Ethan unleashed horror using the very firearm he had received as a gift, resulting in the deaths of Tate Myre, Justin Shilling, Hana St. Juliana, and Madisyn Baldwin. An additional seven students suffered injuries.

Last week, a judge determined that Ethan might face life imprisonment without parole eligibility.

Shedding further light on the decision to potentially charge the Crumbleys, the Michigan Court of Appeals outlined in a March filing that despite being aware of Ethan’s disturbing behavior and state of mind, “defendants did nothing.”

The court emphasized that the Crumbleys neither sought immediate medical intervention for their son, nor informed the school about his mental health background or potential access to a firearm. Additionally, they did not check if Ethan had the gun with him or in his backpack.

Following the tragedy, the Crumbleys exited their Oxford residence. With the U.S. Marshals Service initiating an arrest alert, their legal representatives argued that the couple departed for their safety and subsequently turned themselves in after several days.

The defense for the Crumbley parents maintains their stance that the parents couldn’t have foreseen their son’s intentions to execute such a heinous act.

If the trial proceeds against James and Jennifer Crumbley, it would mark an unprecedented move in the legal arena.

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