Ethan Crumbley drew a picture of a man being shot with a gun, next to it he wrote “help” and that he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The school raised the alarm and booked a meeting with the parents – the same day four students were shot dead.
Now the shooter’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, is being sentenced in a historic verdict because she did not inform the school about the weapon.
Last December, Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 Michigan school massacre, in which four students were killed and several people were injured. Now his mother, Jennifer Crumbley, 47, is also being sentenced for the massacre, The Guardian reports.
On the same day that the school shooting took place, the school had called a meeting. They were worried about Ethan Crumbley because of a drawing he had drawn. The cartoon depicted a gun and an injured man along with several written sentences. Among other things, it said “The thoughts don’t stop, help me.” The world is dead”.
– He literally drew what he was going to do, says prosecutor Karen McDonald.
The school warned before the school shooting
The parents were called to a twelve-minute meeting, but did not inform the staff that there were weapons in the home. Just days earlier, Ethan Crumbley, then 15, had been at a shooting range with the weapon used in the massacre.
The prosecutor believes that the mother knew that the gun in the drawing was identical to the weapon that was at home.
– She also knew that it was not stored properly. She knew he could handle the weapon and had access to ammunition, said prosecutor Karen McDonald.
In addition to not notifying the school about the weapon, Jennifer Crumbley was also accused of ignoring her son’s mental health.
Historic judgment
The defense lawyer said that Ethan Crumbley was a “skilled manipulator” and that it was impossible to predict what he would do. Meanwhile, a man Jennifer Crumbley had an affair with says she was worried he would do something stupid.
Jennifer Crumbley is found guilty on all counts, the maximum penalty for causing the death of another in the state of Michigan is 15 years in prison. Ethan Crumbley’s father is also charged and his trial will be held in March later this year.