Jennifer Crumbley’s guilty verdict is being called a wake-up call for parents.
The foreperson of the jury in the trial of Jennifer Crumbley, mother of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, is speaking out after the landmark guilty verdict.
Jennifer Crumbley has been convicted for four counts of involuntary manslaughter. She is the first parent of a mass shooter to face this level of charge in connection to their child’s crime.
The foreperson told the "Today" show that a final image presented by prosecutors showing Jennifer two days before the shooting carrying the gun used in the murder of four students helped sway jurors.
“The responsibility of securing the weapon then falls on her,” the foreperson says.
One answer from Jennifer on the stand may have sealed her fate.
“I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently and I wouldn’t have,” Jennifer said in court Thursday.
“It was repeated a lot in the deliberation room. I think that it was very upsetting to hear,” the foreperson said.
Jennifer’s guilty verdict is being called a wake-up call for parents.
Prosecutors portrayed Jennifer as an irresponsible mother who was more interested in her extramarital affairs and her job than her son’s mental well-being.
Some legal experts say negligent parents across the United States will have to be more vigilant to stay out of prison if their children are involved in wrongdoing.
“The Jennifer Crumbley guilty verdict is a game changer in parenting across the country. We as parents now need to pay really close attention to the behavior of our kids,” defense attorney Brian Claypool tells Inside Edition.
Jennifer will be sentenced on April 9. Each count will carry a penalty of 15 years in prison. It is expected she will serve the four sentences concurrently.
