Mother of Michigan school shooter testifies in defense
The background: Michigan's deadliest school shooting
The shooter, Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time, killed four students and injured seven others at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021. He pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder, and was sentenced two months ago. to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ms Crumbley, 45, is being tried on four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Her husband, James Crumbley, 47, will be tried separately in March. Both parents are being held in the Oakland County Jail.
The Crumbleys left their Oxford home shortly after the shooting, in what prosecutors have suggested was an attempt to flee from authorities. Mrs Crumbley's lawyer, Shannon Smith, argued that the couple feared for their safety despite the relentless threats.
Why it matters: Assigning blame after tragedy
The prosecution of the Crumbleys is at the forefront of an effort by some officials to hold parents accountable when they are accused of enabling deadly violence by their children. In recent months, parents of children involved in gun violence in other states have pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct or neglect.
In the trial of Ms. Crumbley, prosecutors have so far focused in part on Ethan's access to a firearm. But another issue looms larger: whether witness statements, along with an extensive collection of text messages, can provide reliable insight into a troubled teen's state of mind or a mother's attention to her son.
Gun safety may be a more important focus in the trial of Mr. Crumbley because the evidence shows that Mr. Crumbley purchased the Sig Sauer pistol used in the shooting.
The details: Testimony paints a painful picture
After emotional testimony about the day of the shooting — which began about two hours after school officials met with the Crumbleys about concerns that Ethan might hurt himself — prosecutors spent a significant portion of the trial reviewing a trove of electronic communications that they say Ms. Crumbley could have done more to prevent her son's deadly actions.
There were messages Ethan sent to a friend in April 2021 complaining of insomnia, paranoia and hearing voices. There were messages between Mrs Crumbley and her husband, her colleagues and her friends. And there were messages between mother and son: During a conversation in March 2021, Ethan told his mother that their house was haunted, possibly by a demon.
Prosecutors said Mrs. Crumbley did not always respond to her son's emergency messages in the months before the shooting, suggesting she became more concerned about the care of her two horses. But Ms. Smith, the defense lawyer, argued that the months of messages were icing on the cake.
On Wednesday afternoon, cross-examination of Brian Meloche, a longtime friend of Ms. Crumbley with whom she had texted after the shooting, took a surprising turn: After an argument between the lawyers and consultation with the judge, the prosecution and defense agreed to reveal to jurors that Ms. Crumbley and Mr. Meloche had an extramarital affair before the shooting.
In some of her messages to Mr. Meloche, Ms. Crumbley expressed concern and regret, saying in one: “I have failed as a parent.” But in other cases, she suggested school officials were to blame. “The system failed,” she wrote.
What's next: The suspect was called to testify
Ms Crumbley took the stand on Thursday afternoon as the first witness called by the defense.
Her lawyer, Ms. Smith, has suggested she will add more context to what jurors have heard so far, saying in her opening statement that “the prosecution has very selectively pulled bits of evidence from a forest of trees.” And she will most likely try to convince jurors that Mrs. Crumbley always intended to turn herself in to authorities.
Ms. Smith had also hoped to question Ethan Crumbley, but the judge said she would not require him to testify because he was expected to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.