A knotty question of parent liability in the Crumbley school shooting case
Al Jazeera
The parents of a US school shooter have been found guilty of manslaughter. What message does their sentencing send?
The court cases against Jennifer and James Crumbley have hinged on a thorny question: As school shootings become increasingly common in the United States, can parents be held liable for the actions of teenage gunmen?
Juries in Michigan have wrestled with that question in recent weeks, as they grappled with the aftermath of a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan that killed four children on November 30, 2021.
And in each parent’s case, the jury returned a clear answer: Yes. Despite being tried separately, both Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in relation to their son Ethan’s actions.
It was a historic verdict. Never before had a parent in the US been found criminally responsible for manslaughter after their child committed a mass shooting.
On Tuesday, a sentencing hearing will decide where they face a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
