In a completely unprecedented move, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the student charged with shooting four fellow students to death at a Michigan high school, have also been charged in the shooting.
James and Jennifer Crumbley seemingly tried to evade law enforcement and were apprehended after a manhunt on Saturday morning. Once they were located, the two were arraigned in court on four counts each of involuntary manslaughter. The couple pleaded not guilty. A judge set their bonds at $500,000 each, saying they were a clear flight risk.
Shannon Smith, one of the attorneys representing the couple, said they plan to fight the charges against them.
The couple's attorneys have also said that the two were not trying to hide. However, the opposite appears to be true. It was reported that they fled on Friday just after prosecutors announced they would be charged in the shooting.
They made a cash withdrawal of $4,000 on Friday, then couldn't be located. When their whereabouts became unknown and the couple couldn't be reached, the US Marshals Service released wanted posters and announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest. It wasn't long before the couple was found.
The following day, they were discovered inside of a commercial building. Detroit Police Department Chief James E. White said at a news conference that they "appeared to be hiding" there. He also said that the person who allowed them inside the building may be charged.
The Crumbleys' attorneys are now saying that they weren't trying to evade law enforcement but were simply fleeing for their own safety. But the timing of their departure doesn't look good, nor does the mounting evidence against them.
The Crumbleys, who were at their son's school the morning of the school shooting, resisted the idea of pulling him out of school that day, though they had been called there to discuss his deeply troubling behavior.
Videos of Ethan Crumbley talking about shooting people were found on his cellphone. He had also been drawing violent images. On one, he wrote, “the thoughts won’t stop, help me,” and near a drawing of a bullet he wrote, “blood everywhere." But the biggest red flag was that a teacher saw him searching for information on buying ammunition on his phone.
In response to finding out her son was searching for how to purchase ammunition, Jennifer Crumbley sent the following response to him in a text message: “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught."
In addition to the couple seeming to ignore major red flags in regard to their son's behavior, the gun he used was also reportedly purchased for him by his father just days before on Black Friday. Ethan posted images of the gun on social media, seeming to show it off.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a press conference that the parents absolutely had enough information to understand that their son was a threat and that they should be held responsible for their neglect.
Ethan Crumbley, only 15, has been charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder. He has also been charged with one count of terrorism, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
