Juror Breaks Silence on Jennifer Crumbley's Guilty Verdict

The jury foreperson in the trial of a Michigan school shooter's mother has broken her silence after the woman was convicted on Tuesday.

Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each student killed in the shooting carried out by her son, Ethan Crumbley, at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021. The jury's verdict marked the first time that a parent in the U.S. has been held responsible for a child committing a mass school attack.

The foreperson told the Today show on Wednesday that the jury's decision was not immediately unanimous.

"Speaking for myself, I know that each individual juror had their own opinion," Alex, whose last name was not given to protect her privacy, said. "For me, I just feel like Jennifer didn't separate her son from the gun enough to save those lives that day."

She said Crumbley was the last person known to have had custody of the gun before her son used it in the shooting.

"And I think the responsibility of securing the weapon then falls on her," Alex said.

Asked if text messages—as well as a journal that jurors saw indicating Ethan had asked for help and hadn't received it from his parents—had been persuasive, Alex said: "To me personally, it wasn't as impactful as the evidence of her having the gun. But I know for my fellow jurors that the notebook played a huge part."

Alex also said that it became clear once jurors began deliberating that Crumbley "wasn't a super-reliable witness."

She said it was "upsetting" to hear Crumbley testify in her defense that she wouldn't have done anything differently.

"It was repeated a lot in the deliberation room," Alex said. "I think that it was very upsetting to hear. I think that there are many small things that could have been done to prevent this."

The maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter is 15 years. Prosecutors have not said if they will ask for consecutive sentences on the four convictions, which could mean a maximum of 60 years if the judge agrees. Crumbley's sentencing is scheduled for April 9.

Her husband and Ethan Crumbley's father, James Crumbley, was also charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and faces a trial in March.

Ethan, who was 15 when he carried out the shooting and is now 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and terrorism in 2022. He is serving a life sentence.

Update 2/7/24, 10:43 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.