Parents Of Michigan School Shooter Knew He Was Troubled & Did Nothing

Mounting evidence shows that the parents of the Michigan school shooter were aware that he was a threat but failed to act.

Prosecutors say that James and Jennifer Crumbley “willfully ignored” the threat their son, Ethan Crumbley, posed to others. The office of Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald released a disturbing drawing on a math worksheet done by Ethan the day that he conducted the mass shooting at Oxford High School. The image showed a gun and a bullet with the words “The thoughts won’t stop,” followed by “Help me.” Above the bullet, Ethan wrote, “Blood everywhere.” He also wrote, “My life is useless” further down on the page. Once a teacher discovered the drawing, Ethan crossed out most of the words and wrote positive phrases such as “I love my life so much!!!!”

Hours before the shooting on November 30th, James and Jennifer were called to the school to discuss the drawings. They failed to tell school administrators that they’d purchased their son a gun days before the shooting and took no action after being made aware of the drawings.

Ethan had also sent his mother troubling text messages, which highlighted his deteriorating mental state. He had even been spotted viewing violent shooting videos. The 15-year-old enjoyed torturing animals and kept the head of a baby bird in a jar in his bedroom. Still, his parents took no action, as they were more preoccupied tending to their horses for hours each week.

After Ethan killed four students and injured seven others, his parents reportedly began immediately preparing their own defense. The couple secured an attorney for themselves but not for Ethan. Jennifer texted a co-worker that “her son’s destiny is done, and she has to take care of herself.”

Jennifer and James have been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the case. They are each being held on a $500,000 bond. Ethan has been charged with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond.