On Thursday, Feb. 1, Jennifer Crumbley, mother of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, faced the court in her trial for manslaughter. The trial continued into Friday for her cross-examination.
In 2021, Ethan killed four students and injured several more in the shooting. This incident left a devastating mark on the Michigan community as schools all around the state came together to support Oxford.
During Jennifer’s legal trial, she was questioned about her poor parenting leading to her son’s actions.
Jennifer’s personal romantic relationships were used as evidence of her lack of parental support. Her reasoning behind her poor parental support towards Ethan was justified by an affair she was having with Brian Meloche. Meloche had an affair during the months leading up to the shooting. He came to the trial and admitted on the stand that he had been having an affair with her. They met on an app called “Adult Friend Finder.”
“She depicted herself as having one extramarital affair for six months where she met with him one time a week. That was her testimony,” Assistant Prosecutor March Keast said.
Jennifer along with her husband James Crumbley have both been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution has argued that their personal relationships with their son were connected to the shooting. Both parents have pleaded guilty. James is set to go on trial in March.
Jennifer also revealed that she gifted the gun used at the Oxford shooting to Ethan. It was intended to be used at a shooting range. The family regularly enjoyed trips to the range and used guns for this purpose.
Jennifer also testified that her son never talked to her about his mental health and didn’t ask for professional help. His journal entries were used as evidence during this trial. These journal entries show the opposite side of her testimony.
“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the f****** school… My parents won’t listen to me about help or a therapist,” Ethan Crumbley wrote in the journal found in his school backpack.
The prosecution also questioned her about text messages shared between her and her son. The subject matter of the conversation included Ethan texting her about seeing demons. Jennifer explained that that specific conversation was a joke and not intended to be viewed in a serious light.
Jennifer is also under fire by the prosecution for attempting to flee and hide from officials after the shooting. She was found in a studio space in Detroit by the police soon after the shooting. She testified that she was sleeping, but the prosecution found text messages that were sent through her phone when she was allegedly asleep.
She also testified that she was willing to turn herself in, but evidence shown at the court suggests otherwise. Financial records show her and her husband taking large sums of money out of the bank in cash after hearing about their son.
As for Ethan Crumbley, he was sentenced to life in prison. He pleaded guilty to one charge of terrorism, four counts of first-degree murder and 19 other charges. The defense pleaded that his life was still salvageable and that less severe sentences should be considered.
Ethan openly admitted to his wrongdoings and took the blame for the entire shooting.
“I am a really bad person. I have done terrible things that no one should ever do,” Ethan said at his trial.
Ethan is the first minor — aged 15 at the time of the shooting — to receive a lifetime sentence with no parole after a Supreme Court ruling in 2012.
SCOTUS held that life without parole violates the 8th Amendment. Only rare exceptions can be made — Ethan is an example of a rare exception.
