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(Video Credit: Fox 2 Detroit)
The parents of Ethan Crumbley, who is accused of killing four students at Oxford High School in Michigan, were allegedly shown violent and disturbing drawings on their son’s math homework that depicted a gun and “blood everywhere” just hours before he went on his murderous shooting spree.
Prosecutors are asserting that the 15-year-old was “intent on violence” in an attempt to depict James and Jennifer Crumbley as bad parents who were aware that their son was depressed and capable of violent behavior.
The parents sought lowered bail from $500,000 to $100,000 on Thursday while the prosecutor insisted that they were an even bigger flight risk now because of their financial circumstances than they were at the time of the shooting.
Ethan Crumbley’s math homework that was shown to his parents allegedly had a drawing of a gun with messages scribbled on it including “My life is useless,” “Blood everywhere,” and “The thoughts won’t stop, help me.” But what is not being publicized nearly as much is that the violent images and some of those messages had been scrawled over and other messages were on the homework such as “Video game this is,” “Harmless act,” “We’re all friends here,” “OHS rocks!” and “I love my life so much!!!!”
NEW: In a new court filing, Oakland Co. Prosecutor @KarenMcDonaldMI says the Crumbleys are "a greater risk of flight now… they will flee if they get the opportunity." @Local4News pic.twitter.com/lQotqtO6HC
— Grant Hermes (@GrantHermes) December 23, 2021
The boy had evidently drawn the images and written the messages the morning of the shooting. They were ostensibly found by a teacher who took a screenshot of them and reported the findings to a counselor.
The prosecutors’ filings include allegations that Ethan Crumbley’s mother was having an extramarital affair while ignoring her son’s deepening depression and had reportedly texted her boyfriend about the alleged murder weapon being in her car.
“Their son was torturing animals, even leaving a baby birds’ head in a jar on his bedroom floor, which he later took and placed in a school bathroom,” the document alleges. “Meanwhile [James and Jennifer] were focusing on themselves and their own issues, including things like extra-marital affairs, financial issues, and substance abuse issues.”
Prosecutors Motion for Oxfo… by Eileen Holliday
Prosecutors contend that the parents “failed to take even the simplest actions that would have prevented the massacre” in court documents. They are also asserting that the parents recently bought their son the gun that was used in the shooting.
They are charging that the Crumbleys “knew their son was depressed, that he was fascinated with guns… that he had been researching ammunition while at a school and that he was seen watching violent videos of shootings that morning.” They purchased the gun for Ethan as an early Christmas present anyway, according to prosecutors.
“All they had to do was tell the school that they had recently purchased a gun for their son, asked him where the gun was, opened his backpack, or just take him home,” the prosecution stated. “Defendants were in a better position than anyone else in the world to prevent this tragedy, but they failed to do so.”
The parents’ lawyers allege that the Crumbleys were unaware that Ethan was a danger to other students and are “devastated by the school shooting.”
Prosecutors are also arguing that a “don’t do it” text from the mother that was sent to Ethan the day of the shooting proves she knew what was going on. She denies that the message meant that and instead asserts that the text was urging her son not to commit suicide, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
“After the active shooting announcement went out, Mrs. Crumbley texted her son, Ethan, ‘Don’t do it.’ And Mr. Crumbley went to his home purposely to search for this weapon because he was afraid his son had the weapon and was in fact shooting people and hurting them, which, as we know, is exactly what happened,” Oakland County, Michigan, prosecutor Karen McDonald said.
“The prosecution will not be able to prove that the Crumbleys … knew their son was a danger to other students, or that they knew there was a situation that required them to take care to avoid injuring another,” the parents’ attorneys wrote.
“It is clear from the media appearances by Ms. McDonald that this case is one she takes very personally, was filed out of anger and filed in an effort to send a message to gun owners,” the defense declared in court documents.
The parents have pled not guilty to all four charges of involuntary manslaughter. Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison along with a $7,500 fine and mandatory DNA testing.
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