DETROIT — The Michigan Supreme Court rejected an appeal Tuesday, allowing the parents of the Oxford High School shooter to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are accused of making a weapon available to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs.
In March, the state appeals court said the couple could stand trial, and the Supreme Court said it would uphold that ruling.
Ethan Crumbley killed four classmates and injured seven others at the Oxford school in November 2021. He pleaded guilty to terrorism and murder. Last week, a judge said he faced a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The parents’ lawyers insist the shooting was not predictable. They acknowledge that bad decisions were made, but not to the point that their clients would be charged with manslaughter.
The teen and his parents met with school staff the day of the shooting after a teacher noticed violent drawings, but no one checked to see if his backpack contained a weapon. He was allowed to stay at school.
The 17-year-old, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, will be sentenced on December 8. The judge will have the option of giving him a prison sentence that would make him eligible for parole in the decades to come.
2023-10-03 12:43:02
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