The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the parents of the Oxford High School shooter may face trial on involuntary manslaughter charges, the Associated Press reports. James and Jennifer Crumbley are accused of making a gun available to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs. An appeals court said the couple could face trial, and the Supreme Court let that decision stand. Ethan Crumbley killed four fellow students and injured seven other people at the school in November 2021. He pleaded guilty to terrorism and murder. A judge last week said he is eligible for a sentence of life in prison without a chance of parole.
Attorneys for the parents insist the school shooting was not foreseeable. They acknowledge that while bad decisions were made. they do not rise to charges of involuntary manslaughter. The teen and his parents met with school staff on the day of the shooting after a teacher noticed violent drawings, but no one checked his backpack for a gun. He was allowed to stay. The 17-year-old, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, will be sentenced on Dec. 8. The judge will have an option of giving him a prison term that would make him eligible for parole.