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The jurors who convicted Jennifer Crumbley of manslaughter for her son’s school shooting felt an “undeniable weight” at their historic decision — and were not “immediately unanimous” in agreeing guilt, their foreperson revealed in an interview airing Wednesday.
“There was definitely a weight,” the foreperson, using only the first name Alex, told the “Today” show.
“We all took the responsibility that was put upon us seriously. And I’m just one of 12, but made a very difficult decision,” she said of the first conviction of a parent being held responsible for a child’s mass shooting.
Alex said she was swayed by Crumbley being the last person to handle the gun that was then used by her then-15-year-old son, Ethan Crumbley, to kill four at Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30, 2021.
“For me, I just feel like Jennifer didn’t separate her son from the gun enough to save those lives that day,” Alex said.
Even so, “It was not immediately unanimous,” she said of the decision by the jury of six men and six women.
Ultimately, it was the mom’s own evidence that swayed the decision, the foreperson said.
“Once we went into deliberation it became clear that she was not a super reliable witness in this case,” Alex said of the 45-year-old marketing director who was cheating on her husband while also ignoring her son’s obvious need for help.
One example, she said, was Crumbley’s testimony that she wouldn’t have done anything differently leading up to the shooting, despite clear warning signs.
“It was repeated a lot in the deliberation room,” Alex said. “I think that it was very upsetting to hear. I think that there were many small things that could have been done to prevent this.”
The foreperson also noted text messages between Crumbley and her son — in which the word “love” only appeared three times over several years — as well as the boy’s journal entries detailing his mental health issues.
“To me personally, it wasn’t as impactful as the evidence of her having the gun, but I know for my fellow jurors, the notebook played a huge part,” Alex said.
The jury spent nearly two days deliberating in Oxford, Michigan before reaching its verdict, which came after a two-week trial during which prosecutors argued Crumbley had made the gun accessible to her son, and ignored his mental health issues.
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The parents also declined to take him home when confronted by his violent drawings at school on the day of the shooting, which claimed the life of four students and left six others and a teacher wounded.
During cross-examination, prosecutors tore into Crumbley’s claims that she was a “hyper-vigilant helicopter parent” who was “close” with her son, arguing she was too busy to notice his deeply disturbed mentality amid her heated affair with a married firefighter.
Meanwhile, the mother argued that it was husband who decided to buy their son, who was 15 at the time, the gun he would use in the massacre — though she admitted she did not object to the purchase at the time.
Ethan Crumbley, now 17, pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism and was sentenced in December to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He murdered Tate Myre, a beloved 16-year-old football star, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, a talented artist who had already received college acceptances, Hana St Juliana, 14, a passionate member of the school’s basketball team, and Justin Shilling, 17, a devoted friend and co-captain of the bowling team.
His mom faces up to 15 years in prison per count. She is set to be sentenced on April 9.
Ethan’s father, James Crumbley, will be tried on the same charges separately at a late date. He has pleaded not guilty.
Loved ones of some of the f the victims of the shooting told NBC News they hope the verdict will help prevent future tragedies.
“The bleeding has to stop,” said Shilling’s dad, Craig Shilling.
“We can’t just continue living life with the uncertainty of whether or not our kids are going to come home from school.”
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