James and Jennifer Crumbley's Guilt: Contrasting Journeys to Justice

In James Crumbley's manslaughter trial, 14 out of 15 witnesses had previously testified in his wife's trial.

The prosecution relied on testimony from shooting survivors, police investigators, and school employees in both trials to show that the parents were negligent in allowing their son, Ethan, to have a gun and disregarding his deteriorating mental health.

The similarity in witness overlap shows how alike the two trials were. Both parents were found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter for their involvement in their son's tragic school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan on November 30, 2021. They could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and the sentencing is scheduled for next month.

However, despite these similarities, the trials played out in distinct ways.

The focus of the case against Jennifer was mainly on her personal life, including her text messages, her relationship with her son, and her extramarital affair. On the other hand, the case against James did not delve much into his personal matters but instead looked closely at how he obtained the family's firearms.

Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald, in an interview with CNN's Jean Casarez, recognized that there were significant differences in the evidence presented in the two trials.

"It's very unusual to have two trials back-to-back that are so similar in circumstances," McDonald explained. "We gained some insights from the first trial, but the second one was quite different due to various reasons. The legal defense strategies of each parent, the volume of digital evidence, and the prosecution's varying emphasis on firearms and mental health all contributed to the differences."

The legal defense strategy

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His son killed four people at a Michigan high school. Now, James Crumbley is on trial

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The major difference in the trials was Jennifer Crumbley’s decision to testify in her own defense, while James Crumbley did not.

During the trial, Jennifer Crumbley shifted the blame to her son, husband, and the school, showing no remorse for her actions. She stated, "I've thought about whether I would have acted differently, and I wouldn't have changed a thing."

On the other hand, James Crumbley chose not to testify, asserting, "I have decided to stay silent in court."

Jennifer Crumbley made two decisions that reflected her broader legal defense strategies. In her trial, a pretrial ruling had initially prohibited any mention of her extramarital affair with a local firefighter. However, midway through the trial, Jennifer decided to waive the ruling and allow the evidence to be presented. She expressed her trust in her attorney's recommended strategy change.

James Crumbley, the father of Ethan Crumbley who was responsible for the tragic shooting at Oxford High School, returned to the courtroom in Pontiac, Michigan. He is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of four students. His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was also convicted on the same charges in a historic trial last month. This marks the first time in U.S. history that a parent has been tried in connection to a school shooting carried out by their child.

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The father of the Michigan school shooter has been found guilty of manslaughter. During the court proceedings, defense attorney Shannon Smith argued that the importance of his daughter's life outweighed any concerns about her dignity due to her affair. Smith emphasized that many people have affairs and that ultimately, it does not indicate that a child will become a school shooter.

Judge Cheryl Matthews emphasized that the trial should focus on the elements of the case and what needs to be proven, rather than the defendant's morality.

During the closing arguments, James Crumbley's attorney, Mariell Lehman, pushed to restrict the evidence presented in the case. She maintained that there was insufficient evidence to convict beyond a reasonable doubt.

Smith stated that there was no testimony or evidence showing that James knew his son posed a threat to others.

In a statement released on Thursday, Smith announced that she and Jennifer Crumbley will not be conducting interviews. She emphasized the importance of giving the victims, their families, and the community the necessary space and time to heal from the tragedy.

Lehman did not respond to a request for comment.

The amount of digital evidence

In contrast to James, Jennifer left a detailed digital trail of her thoughts and feelings during the trial. This resulted in the jury learning more about her personal life than his.

During her trial, it was disclosed that Jennifer had been texting multiple people before, during, and after the shooting. This ongoing communication provided insight into her thoughts and actions.

She realized their gun was missing and her son was the shooter. She messaged her boss and asked him not to fire her. "I need my job," she wrote. "Please don't judge me for what my son did."

Jennifer Crumbley appears in court on January 25 in Oxford, Michigan.

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Jennifer Crumbley said ‘I failed as a parent’ in message after her son’s school shooting

On the morning of the shooting, she reached out to the owner of a horse farm, expressing concern that her son was struggling and needed supervision. Later, she shared her thoughts on the attack, wishing that there had been some kind of warning.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, she confided in her extramarital lover about her feelings of failure as a parent. Reflecting on her parenting skills, she admitted, "I failed miserably."

Other online posts supported the prosecution's case. Prior to the incident, she shared on her social media about going to the gun range with Ethan and his new SIG Sauer 9mm firearm. She captioned the post with, "Mom & son day testing out his new Xmas present," alongside a photo of the gun.

In addition, a day before the tragedy, a teacher left Jennifer Crumbley a voicemail informing her that her son was viewing bullets on his phone during class. In a text message to her son, she casually wrote, "Lol I'm not mad you have to learn not to get caught."

Firearms v. mental health

The cable lock that was sold with the SIG Sauer 9mm firearm was still in its plastic wrapping in the Crumbley home, a detective testified.

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In Jennifer's trial, the focus was on her understanding of her son's mental health problems. On the other hand, James' trial highlighted his practices regarding firearm safety.

During Jennifer's trial, prosecutors presented several text exchanges between her and her son to demonstrate that she was aware of his mental health issues but did not take any action to address them.

In March 2021, she texted her husband about her plan to "get drunk and ride my horse." Later that night, her son told her about a demon throwing objects at the house. She responded with a 19-second phone call an hour later.

Ethan also sent her texts about his hallucinations, but she did not reach out to him until the next day. Evidence revealed that the parents were once again at the horse barn during this time, as mentioned by a detective.

James Crumbley and his lawyer, Mariell Lehman, were present in Oakland County Court in Pontiac, Mich., on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Crumbley, the father of a Michigan school shooter, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. This was the second conviction for the parents, who were accused of not properly securing a gun at home and neglecting to address their son's mental health issues.

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On the stand, Jennifer Crumbley said she thought Ethan was just joking around with those texts, making fun of their supposedly haunted house.

Her trial didn't focus much on the guns. She explained that she left that responsibility to her husband, saying, "I didn't feel right taking charge of that. It was more his thing, so I left it to him."

James Crumbley's trial, on the other hand, placed a greater emphasis on how he stored the three firearms in the house.

In August 2021, Ethan shared a video with his friend showing him handling and loading a gun shortly after midnight. According to messages presented in court, he wrote, "My dad left it out so I thought, 'Why not' lol." Forensic analyst Edward Wagrowski testified that both of Ethan's parents were at home during that time.

James bought a SIG Sauer 9mm gun for his son during the Black Friday sale in 2021. He admitted to investigators that he stored the gun in a case inside his armoire, while the bullets were hidden separately under some jeans. A detective found a cable lock that came with the SIG Sauer still in its original packaging.

During the investigation, the defense raised concerns about whether a different locking device could have been used to secure the gun. However, no other gun locks were discovered in the house.

Finally, there were two other firearms in the parents' home. These included a .22-caliber Derringer and a .22-caliber KelTec. These guns were stored in a gun safe located in the parents' bedroom dresser. However, the detective mentioned that the combination to unlock the safe was set to "0-0-0," which is the default factory setting.

Editor's P/S:

The Crumbley trials have exposed the complexities of parental responsibility and the devastating consequences that can arise from negligence. The prosecution's reliance on similar witnesses in both trials highlights the severity of the parents' actions and their shared culpability in their son's tragic actions. However, the distinct focus of each trial, with Jennifer Crumbley's case delving into personal matters and James Crumbley's examining firearm safety, reflects the nuanced nature of the case and the individual roles played by each parent.

The stark contrast in the defendants' legal strategies is also noteworthy. Jennifer Crumbley's decision to testify in her own defense and shift blame away from herself underscores the challenges of holding parents accountable for their children's actions. Conversely, James Crumbley's choice to remain silent raises questions about the limits of parental responsibility and the extent to which they can be held liable for the actions of their offspring. The outcome of these trials has set a precedent for holding parents accountable for their actions and has sparked a national conversation about the role of parents in preventing school shootings.