James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Oxford school shooting suspect, 15-year-old Ethan, who was charged with first-degree murder for the killing of four students at Oxford High School in November 2021, knew that their son was depressed, as he had sent them "troubling texts" and showed other red flags before the shooting. But they never paid attention to it, the prosecutors disclosed on Thursday.
The couple is being charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly buying a gun for their son and failing to secure it, and ignoring signs that their son was having violent thoughts, Aljazeera reported. Ethan used the gun to shoot four students and wounded six others, including teachers.
The boy is now detained for terrorism and first-degree murder charges.
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'Red Flags' that were ignored
The defendants knew that their son went through several stressful events, such as a friend moving out at the end of October and the death of his dog. The mother knew that he was sadder than usual and that Ethan was sending his mother disturbing texts about his state of mind, prosecutors said. Instead of seeking help for the boy, prosecutors also argued that the parents bought him a gun as a gift, the Detriot Free Press reported.
According to ABC News, a day before Ethan Crumbley did the shooting, he exchanged text messages with his mom after school officials left a voicemail to inform the mom that Ethan had been researching ammunitions on his phone. His mom messaged his son to ask about the incident. Ethan replied that he had already gone to the "office" for the demeanor, and it was harmless as he was just looking at a certain caliber after class. He also admitted that he did not show the teachers a picture of the gun that his parents gave him.
The prosecutors also alleged that the son showed other disturbing signs like torturing animals and keeping a baby bird's head in a jar in his bedroom. The jar was reportedly later taken to the school bathroom.
Before the shooting, Ethan drew a gun on a math homework sheet and scribbled "my life is useless," "blood everywhere," and "the thoughts won't stop, help me."
Parents were busy with other things
Meanwhile, while their son was showing disturbing signs, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald alleged that the parents ignored the warnings and focused on their issues like extramarital affairs and financial and substance abuse. The mother spent her time caring for horses for four hours a week at a barn.
Amanda Holland, a coworker, also testified that she often overhears Jennifer Crumbley's phone conversation at work, and she said that she never heard Crumbley talk about her son to a doctor or therapist. She did, however, hear her speak about horses a lot.
The Crumbley's Oxford School Shooting case has been gaining national attention as this is the first time that involuntary manslaughter was charged against the parents of the shooter.
