Mother of Michigan school shooter blames her husband during trial testimony

Jennifer Crumbley, a mother in the US, is currently on trial for not stopping her son from committing a deadly school shooting. During her defense, she argued that the blame should be placed on her husband. Mrs. Crumbley is the first parent to face trial for a mass shooting carried out by a child, while her husband, James, will also have a separate trial on the same charges. If convicted, both of them could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Their son, who was 15 at the time of the attack, is already serving a life sentence for killing four classmates at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021. Mrs. Crumbley, who took the stand on the sixth day of the trial, stated that she did not consider it her responsibility to look after the gun her husband purchased for their son. She said that her husband took their son to a gun store the day after Thanksgiving to buy a handgun as a gift. Mrs. Crumbley admitted that she did not feel comfortable with the responsibility of safely storing the gun, which had a cable lock. She allowed her husband to handle it and did not want to put the lock on herself. A few days later, her husband removed the lock so she could take their son to a gun range. She claims to have not known where her husband hid the gun in their bedroom and believed that her son did not know either. During her son's trial, his lawyers argued that he was neglected by his parents and suffered from mental illness. However, he later stated that his parents were unaware of his plans and that he alone was responsible for the shooting. His attorneys have announced that he will exercise his right to remain silent if called to testify at his parents' trials. Mrs. Crumbley's defense team argues that she could not have predicted her son's actions and is being unfairly blamed. Prosecutors presented text messages and diary entries from the son that showed he was experiencing hallucinations, which they argued as evidence of his deteriorating mental health. They also claim that the parents did not help their child seek the necessary mental health support. Prosecutor Marc Keast emphasized that while Jennifer Crumbley did not pull the trigger on that tragic day, she is responsible for the deaths. On the day of the shooting, school officials discovered disturbing drawings in the boy's possession. The parents were called to the school to address the drawings but left early, claiming they needed to return to work. None of the adults checked the boy's backpack, where he had stored the gun, and he was allowed to return to class.