The parents of a Michigan school shooter are asking a judge to keep them out of prison as they face sentencing for their role in an attack that killed four students in 2021. Jennifer and James Crumbley are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for the close of a pioneering case: They are the first parents convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting. The Crumbleys did not know their son, Ethan Crumbley, was planning the shooting at Oxford High School.
Jurors heard how the teen had drawn a gun, a bullet and a gunshot victim on a math assignment, accompanied by grim phrases: “The thoughts won't stop. Help me. My life is useless. Blood everywhere.” Ethan told a counselor he was sad — a grandmother had died and his only friend suddenly had moved away — but said the drawing only reflected his interest in creating video games. The Crumbleys attended a meeting at the school that lasted less than 15 minutes.