The parents of Ethan Crumbley, the teenager who shot and killed four of his classmates at school and injured seven others in November 2021, have been convicted of manslaughter.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were accused of having given the gun from the massacre to their son, ignoring the warning signs of his violence.
The ruling is set to have an impact much broader than the borders of Michigan, the scene of the massacre.
It is in fact the first time that the parents of a minor who commits a massacre are convicted of murder in a country where 80% of the weapons used by students in mass shootings are taken from the homes of the family or of relatives and friends .
The prosecution described Jennifer Crumbley as a detached and neglectful mother, while her husband was accused of failing to supervise the Sig Sauer pistol used in the shooting.
The weapon had been given to the then 15-year-old Ethan four days before the November 30 massacre as an early Christmas gift.
"James had the easiest opportunity to prevent the deaths of the four students. And he did nothing," the Oakland County prosecutor said in her closing statement, pointing the finger at Ethan's father for leaving the gun behind. easily accessible.
James Crumbley's lawyers tried to convince the jurors that their client was absolutely unaware that his son was a danger, but without success.
James was found guilty, as was his wife Jennifer, and the two now face a maximum of 15 years in prison.
His son Ethan is already in prison: he pleaded guilty to the 24 charges brought against him and will have to serve the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
The parents of the four students from Oxford High School, near Detroit, were in the courtroom as the jury's verdict on James Crumbley was read and burst into tears and hugged the prosecutor who handled the case, possibly paving the way for a new approach to mass shootings in American schools.
The debate is heated on how to proceed, but a solution is not easy and states proceed in no particular order depending on their political orientation.
In Utah, Republican governor Spencer Cox signed and signed into law a measure that encourages teachers to come armed to class or at least leave a weapon in the classroom.
A measure harshly contested by associations for the prevention of violence with firearms because, in their opinion, it is necessary to invest more in the mental health of children - as demonstrated in Ethan's case - rather than in training teachers to shoot.
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