Oxford Shooting Case: No Verdict In Jennifer Crumbley Trial After 1st Day Of Deliberations

PONTIAC, MI — On Tuesday, jurors will continue deliberating the fate of the Oxford school shooter's mother, who is charged with manslaughter in connection with the shooting that left four students dead on Nov. 30, 2021.

Jennifer Crumbley faces up to 15 years in prison, and she and her husband are the first parents ever charged in connection with a school shooting. Experts believe the case could set a precedent for parents being held responsible for their children's crimes.

Members of the jury did not reach a verdict after roughly seven hours of deliberations Monday.

Jurors did ask the judge two questions. The first question was, can members of the jury infer anything from evidence that was not presented at Jennifer Crumbley's trial — such as how her son Ethan Crumbley got the gun he used to kill four classmates, according to the Detroit News. Matthews reiterated the only thing jurors can discuss is the evidence that was put forth to them during Jennifer's trial.

The second question jurors asked is, are there two ways they could convict Jennifer Crumbley of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors presented two theories against Jennifer: One that Jennifer failed to perform a legal duty in patenting, basically failing to provide her son the necessary care prosecutors said he needed.

The second is gross negligence, meaning Jennifer knew that her son was a danger to others, and that she failed to take the ordinary care steps to avoid injuring others.

Matthews said that jurors only need to believe at least one of the theories to declare Crumbley guilty. If any of the jury members believe the prosecution failed to prove either of the theories, Crumbley could be declared not guilty.

Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews instructed the jurors on the law and what they should be considering in their discussions inside an Oakland County courtroom.

In order to convict Jennifer, Matthews told the jury they must believe that Jennifer stored the gun and ammunition in a way that allowed her son Ethan to have access to it. She also told the jurors they must determine if Jennifer knew of the dangers her son posed, and if ordinary care would have prevented the deadly shooting.

"It’s not enough that the defendant’s acts made it possible for the crime to occur," Matthews said. "You must find beyond a reasonable doubt that the deaths were a natural or reasonable result of the defendant’s acts."

Matthews also said that while "flight" — the accusation that Jennifer and husband James Crumbley attempted to flee after the shooting — is an element to the case, it does not prove Jennifer's guilt, because people sometimes flee for innocent reasons or a consciousness of guilt. But she did say jurors could examine the issue as a piece of evidence that Jennifer was admitting guilt in the deadly shooting.

Prosecutors said in their closing arguments Friday that the "smallest things" could have prevented the deadly shooting. They argue that Jennifer, along with her husband, ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the deadly shooting.

Defense lawyers argued Friday that no one, not even Jennifer, could have known that her son was planning the deadly shooting. Moreover, defense lawyers said Jennifer's son was not mentally ill, but rather a "a skilled manipulator."

Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December for the deadly shooting. He has since appealed his life sentence and will not testify during his parents' trials.

James Crumbley, who is also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, will go to trial on March 5.

The four students killed in the shooting were 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.