Parents of school shooter Ethan Crumbley can go to trial for involuntary manslaughter: appeals court

A state appeals court has ruled the parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley can face trial for involuntary manslaughter, CBS News reported.

The court said that Ethan Crumbley would not have murdered four students if his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, had not purchased a gun for him or if they had taken him home from Oxford High School on the day of the shooting.

"Whether a jury actually finds that causation has been proven after a full trial, where the record will almost surely be more expansive — including evidence produced by defendants — is an issue separate from what we decide today," the court said.

As CBS News points out, the Crumbleys are accused of failing to secure a gun and ignoring the mental health issues of their son before the shootings took place, which also wounded seven other people. The 16-year-old has pleaded guilty to terrorism and murder and faces life in prison without parole.

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Judge Michael Riordan said that while parents shouldn't be charged for "subpar, odd or eccentric" care of their kids, the Crumbleys' case is more serious.

"The morning of the shooting, EC drew a picture of a body that appeared to have two bullet holes in the torso, apparently with blood streaming out of them, which was near another drawing of a handgun that resembled the gun his parents ... had very recently gifted to him," Riordan said.