Court clears way for Michigan school shooter’s parents to stand trial

The Michigan Supreme Court denied an appeal Tuesday from the parents of a teenager who shot and killed four students at a high school in the state, clearing the way for the two to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges.

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, are accused of making a gun accessible to their son and ignoring his mental health needs. In a one-sentence order, the state Supreme Court upheld an appeals court decision in March ruling that the couple could face trial.

Prosecutors have alleged that his parents allowed him to access the gun and taught him how to shoot. 

Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the Oxford High School shooting in 2021, pleaded guilty to 24 charges — including terrorism and first-degree murder — last year. He shot and killed students Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling and left six students and a teacher wounded.

The day before the shooting, he was also allegedly looking at pictures of ammunition, according to a teacher. On the day of the shooting, his parents and their son met with school staff on the issue, but no one checked his backpack for a gun.

His parents have remained in custody since shortly after the shooting on a $500,000 bond. Their lawyers have argued that the shooting was not foreseeable — and their alleged actions do not amount to involuntary manslaughter, which could carry up to 15 years in prison.

A judge last week also ruled the defendant is eligible for life in prison without parole. He is expected to be sentenced Dec. 8 in Oakland County, Mich.

The Associated Press contributed.