Michigan Court Denies Appeal, Says School Shooter’s Parents Can Face Manslaughter Trial

Ethan Robert Crumbley (L), 15, charged with first-degree murder in a high school shooting, in a jail booking photograph taken at the Oakland County Jail in Pontiac, Mich., on Dec. 1, 2021. His parents, Jennifer Lynn Crumbley (C) and James Robert Crumbley (R) were taken into custody on Dec. 3, 2021. Oakland County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters

The parents of a Michigan high school student who shot and killed four classmates can face trial on manslaughter charges, a state appeals court said Thursday.

Jennifer and James Crumbley, the first parents to be charged for their role in a school shooting, each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter after four students were killed and seven people were wounded at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, when their 15-year-old son Ethan opened fire during school hours.