As the brief encounter ended, the only thing Ethan Crumbley seemed to be concerned about was his cat, Dexter. “Please take care of Dexter for me,” he told his parents.
The jury in the trial of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley’s mother was shown video from the moment she confronted him after he murdered four students at his high school.
Jennifer and James Crumbley had been told by authorities that their son gunned down the students at Oxford High School outside Detroit in 2021. “He’s never done anything bad,” Jennifer told police.
The parents were taken to see their son, where he was handcuffed to the wall. Crumbley’s parents appeared distressed when they came face-to-face with their son after being called to the police station. His mother asked one question: why?
Crumbley avoided making eye contact with them.
“I don’t think we need to ask him any questions right now,” James said while sitting in the room with his son.
As the brief encounter ended, the only thing Crumbley seemed to be concerned about was his cat, Dexter, apparently named after the fictional serial killer in the Showtime tv series. “Please take care of Dexter for me,” he said.
James was seen sobbing, as Jennifer was upset by her son’s lack of emotion.
“It was like he didn’t even care,” Jennifer said.
Video of the confrontation was played for the jury at the trial of Crumbley’s mother, who is on trial for manslaughter, the first time a parent has been tried for killing committed by their child. She has pled not guilty and denies wrongdoing.
Jennifer’s boss, Andrew Smith, told the jury about the moment she learned there was an active shooter at the school.
“I heard some loud commotion outside my office, yelling,” Smith said in court. “I saw her racing down the hall.”
“Omg Andy he’s going to kill himself. He must be the shooter,” Jennifer later texted Smith. “Ethan did it.”
Crumbley’s father goes on trial Feb. 5. He has denied any wrongdoing.
