Ethan Crumbley’s mother took the stand Thursday shortly after breaking down in tears as she watched surveillance footage of the deadly shooting at her son’s school, where she admitted she was having a hard time “taking in” the horror her son caused.
Jennifer Crumbley was seen leaning over the desk with her head in her hands as footage of her son’s attack that killed four at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021, when he was just 15, was played in court.
His attorney, Shannon Smith, was also seen looking away from the screen with a pained expression on her face as the heartbreaking video played.
The couple then hugged in court on the sixth day of Crumbley’s trial on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, the first time a father has been charged in connection with his son’s school shooting.
“As a parent, you spend your entire life trying to protect your child from other dangers,” Crumbley told the court when he took the stand. “You would never think that you would have to protect your child from hurting someone else.
“That’s what blew my mind. The hardest thing I had to endure was my son harming and killing other people.”
Jennifer Crumbley was seen leaning over the desk with her head in her hands as footage of her son’s rampage on November 30, 2021 at Oxford High School was played in court around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. AP’s attorney, Shannon Stone, was also seen looking away from the screen as the video played with a pained expression on her face. AP Bodycam also showed Crumbley and her husband, James, being placed in the back of a police car after officers arrived at her home following the shooting. AP
He talked about his only son’s hobbies, including shooting a BB gun and target shooting in his backyard.
She also said that he liked to play video games and collect coins, according to Click on Detroit.
Crumley also said she thought she had created an environment for her son to come talk to her about his mental health issues.
“I trusted him and felt like I had an open door for him to come to me for anything,” she said.
The mother also said she did not believe her son needed a psychiatrist since he only had anxiety before an exam and testified that he never asked to see a mental health professional.
The mother of one of them took the stand around 1 p.m. and admitted that she did not think her son needed a psychiatrist, as he only had anxiety before an exam, and that she never asked to see a mental health professional. AP After the footage stopped playing, the couple was seen hugging in the courtroom during the sixth day of the trial, where Crumbley faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter. It is the first time a father has been charged in connection with the school shooting of his son. AP
She was also asked about her affair with Brian Meloche, which she said she hid from both her son and her husband, as well as from a friend of Ethan’s who had moved away earlier that year.
“I called him my second son,” she said.
A large portion of Thursday’s trial session concerned Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Timothy Willis’ investigation into the shooting, including how he traced Ethan’s path and how many of the more than 90 sheets of paper in his backpack included images of firearms, according to Detroit Click.
Willis also talked about Ethan’s diary, which was written backwards and referenced a shooting on every page.
The quotes included: “I have no help for my mental problems and it’s making me shoot myself up in fucking school” and “I’m about to shoot myself up in school and spend the rest of my life in prison,” according to Click on. Detroit.
Diary entries included: “I have no help for my mental problems and it’s making me shoot myself up in fucking school” and “I’m about to shoot myself up in school and spend the rest of my life in prison.” AP
In one passage, the 17-year-old wrote: “First of all, I got my gun. It’s a 9mm SP 2022 Sig Sauer. Second, the shooting is tomorrow. I have access to the gun and ammunition. I’m totally committed to this now. So yeah… I’m going to prison for life and a lot of people have about a day to live.”
It also included a drawing of a gun on a woman’s head and types of ammunition, local media reported.
Then, they played the video from inside the school. Some parts were audio only.
Crumley and his attorney kept their heads down throughout the video.
Bodycam video was also played of Crumbley and her husband, James, being placed in the back of a police car after officers arrived at their home following the shooting.
Jennifer was handcuffed during the exchange, but James was not.
Both were questioned by the police.
Four people were killed in the November 2021 shooting, including Justin Shiling. Madisyn Baldwin also died in the Oxford High School shooting. Facebook Hana St. Juliana was also one of the victims. Facebook Tate Myre died during Ethan’s attack. Facebook
Days later, the parents would be charged, and Willis told the court that he knew the couple was not home at the time and sent David Hendrick, the leader of the fugitive apprehension team, to find them.
“I told him to go try and look for them,” he told the court.
The court was also shown documentation indicating that the Crumbleys had purchased disposable phones at Walmart, stayed at a hotel and withdrawn thousands of dollars on “multiple occasions.”
Crumbley admitted in court Thursday that she and her husband took four Xanax each the night before her arrest. She insisted the couple planned to turn themselves in the next day.
While they were sleeping, the police came in firing guns and arrested them.
His trial continues.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn