Was it right to charge Ethan Crumbley’s parents with involuntary manslaughter? More information may be revealed as time goes on. However, it seems a bit over the top to hold parents accountable for the actions of their teenage children.
We can come up with arguments in this particular case from the viewpoint of proper behavior by the parents. Should they have purchased a handgun for their 15-year-old son? Probably not. Was it against the law in Michigan? No.
It was reported that the gun was kept in the parent’s bedroom. It was not locked up but that is not the law in Michigan. Some states do have a law about locking up weapons when there are minor children in the home. That is a debate for Michigan lawmakers but has no bearing legally in this case.
It was also reported that other than looking at ammunition on his phone before the shooting there was no prior incident of discipline with Ethan in school. Standing alone, looking at ammunition does not seem like such a big deal. After all, his parents had just purchased a gun that was called a “Christmas present”. However, a text message sent to Ethan by his mother said “LOL…Learn Not To Get Caught” regarding looking at ammo.
The next day things did escalate. Here is an excerpt from a news report that did trigger a response by the school and parents:
“The morning of the shooting, Ethan Crumbley’s teacher came upon a note on Ethan’s desk, which alarmed her to the point that she took a picture of it on her phone,” Willis said. “The note contained the following: a drawing of a semi-automatic handgun pointed at the words, ‘The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.’ In another section of the note was a drawing of a bullet with the following words above that bullet: ‘Blood everywhere.’ Between the drawing of the gun and the bullet is the drawing of a person who appears to have been shot twice and bleeding. Below that figure is the drawing of a laughing emoji. Further down the drawing are the words, ‘My life is useless,’ and to the right of those words are, ‘The world is dead.’”
At this point, anyone would be out of their mind to not take action. Apparently, the school also dropped the ball by sending Ethan back to class without searching his backpack. In addition, it was reported by the New York Post a neighbor had reported Ethan’s parents to Child Protective Services for leaving their then 8 or 9-year-old home alone. See the article at this link. I am not sure if the prosecutor was aware of this at the time she decided to charge the parents.
The bottom-line question: is this all enough to charge the parents with involuntary manslaughter? Is it an overcharge? What does a precedent like that mean for future cases of bad or horrific behavior by one’s children?
One thing we can do better is screen kids for psychological issues. Another one would be making sure all the kids in middle school get a tour of the inside of a prison. What are your thoughts?
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