The trial of Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of a teenager who carried out a deadly mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021, began on Tuesday with jury selection. Jennifer and her husband, James Crumbley, are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter each, marking the first time parents have been charged in a mass school shooting in the United States.

Prosecutors allege that the Crumbleys made a gun accessible to their son, Ethan Crumbley, ignored his mental health needs, and failed to take him home when confronted with his violent drawings at school on the day of the attack. While the Crumbleys are not accused of knowing about Ethan's plans to kill fellow students, they are being held criminally responsible for their negligence.

In court filings, assistant prosecutor Joseph Shada argued that involuntary manslaughter has well-defined elements of gross negligence causing death. The trial is taking place in Oakland County, 40 miles north of Detroit, and jury selection has been a slow process due to the high-profile nature of the case and the need to account for potential biases related to guns and the tragedy itself.

James Crumbley, Ethan's father, will face a separate trial in March. Ethan himself was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder, terrorism, and other crimes in December. The case has drawn attention to the issue of holding parents accountable for their children's actions in cases of mass shootings.

The Crumbleys' defense attorneys argue that the parents could not have foreseen the murders and liken the charges to trying to fit a "square peg into a round hole." They contend that the media and society often search for red flags after such tragedies, but the unimaginable cannot be predicted.

During Ethan's sentencing, he claimed full responsibility for his actions, stating that his parents were unaware of his plans and should not be held at fault. However, evidence presented in court shows that James Crumbley bought the gun with Ethan present just days before the shooting, and Jennifer Crumbley took him to a shooting range, describing it as a "mom and son day" on Instagram.

The day before the shooting, the school informed Jennifer that Ethan was looking at ammunition on his phone. Her response, forgiving him and saying, "I'm not mad," has been cited as evidence of her disregard for the potential danger.

On the day of the shooting, Ethan had brought the gun from home, but it went unchecked. The Crumbleys were summoned to the school after Ethan's violent drawings and pleas for help were discovered. However, they declined to remove him from school and left campus after less than 30 minutes. Ethan proceeded to kill four students and wound seven others before surrendering to the police.

After the shooting, the Crumbleys went into hiding and were eventually found by the police in a building in Detroit. They have been in jail for over two years awaiting trial, unable to afford the $500,000 bond.

If convicted, involuntary manslaughter in Michigan carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. This trial serves as a significant test case for holding parents accountable in mass school shootings, and it has sparked a broader discussion about the responsibility of parents in preventing such tragedies.