Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Boss: Mom of alleged school shooter felt she was failing him

Jennifer Crumbley, left, and James Crumbley, right, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., on Feb. 8, 2022. (Paul Sancya / AP) Jennifer Crumbley, left, and James Crumbley, right, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., on Feb. 8, 2022. (Paul Sancya / AP)
Share
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. -

The mother of a teenager who is accused of killing four students at a Michigan school told her boss earlier that day that "she felt as if she was failing" the boy, according to testimony Tuesday.

Prosecutors summoned Andrew Smith, the chief operating officer of a real estate company, to talk about Jennifer Crumbley before and after four students were killed at Oxford High School on Nov. 30.

The judge must decide whether there's enough evidence to send James and Jennifer Crumbley to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. They are accused of making a gun accessible to their son, Ethan Crumbley, and failing to intervene when he showed signs of mental distress.

Smith said Jennifer Crumbley returned to work after she and her husband had a meeting at the school earlier that day. He said he didn't know the specific reason for the meeting, but authorities say during that meeting, school officials showed the couple drawings of violence that their son had made. The officials allowed Ethan Crumbley to stay in school, but they told his parents to get him help.

"She had said her son needed to get some counseling," Smith said of what Jennifer Crumbley mentioned after returning to work that day. "I think she mentioned a family pet had passed away. She felt as if she was failing him or a failure."

Smith said he later heard Jennifer Crumbley "screaming down the hallway" after she learned of the shooting.

She left work and subsequently texted Smith to say, "Andy, he's going to kill himself. He must be the shooter."

Attorneys for the Crumbleys insist that the couple didn't know that a shooting was in the works and didn't make the gun easy to find at home.

Ethan Crumbley is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes. His lawyers filed a notice of an insanity defence, which will likely freeze his case while experts examine him.

The high school, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Detroit, reopened on Jan. 24, nearly two months after the shooting.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.