OK, Chelsea, I have a choice for you and I'm going to try to keep it as vague as possible.
Do we want an AI episode?
Do we want a follow up on a previous news article I've gone over?
Or do we want?
I just seem to see if I saved this one.
I did not save it.
Do we want AI or do we want a follow up?
I want the one not saved. Damn it.
I can find it real quick, actually.
No, let's do the follow up. Damn it.
Fine, just so you know, the one that I didn't save the title is Florida Bill
would make it easier to kill bears on crack.
But what? OK, no, let's do.
No, no, no, that's we got to go this way.
No, no, no. Damn it.
OK, do you remember that school shooting that we covered was over a year ago now?
Wait, school shooting?
Yeah, and it was because the parents ended up getting charged with manslaughter
associated with it.
Vaguely. OK, well, this article will give you a bit of an update on it
so that we can all follow along.
Oh, wait, yeah, I do remember now.
That was a while ago.
Yeah, it might be even season one for us.
Well, that source I wanted to use just isn't working for me.
So we're just going to go with MSN article.
This is a story by Nick Logan published on February 12th, 2024.
Title, the mother of school shooter was convicted of manslaughter.
What does this mean for other cases?
A Michigan mother could face up to 60 years in prison
after a jury convicted her on Tuesday on four counts of involuntary
manslaughter after her teenage son killed four students in a school shooting in 2021.
Prosecutors argued Michigan law compelled Jennifer Crumpley
to prevent her then 15 year old son, Ethan, from harming others.
And the jury in the case agreed.
Now 17, Ethan is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder
and terrorism charges in October 2022.
Jennifer Crumpley's conviction is a first of its kind verdict
in the U.S. school shooting case, raising questions about the extent
to which a parent can be held responsible for the criminal actions of their child.
Legal experts say it could have broader implications
for the U.S. criminal justice system.
Short-faced criminal lawyer Michael Belotta believes
the jury's manslaughter verdict was an overreach, saying he thought
that the trial would have ended in a not guilty verdict or a hung jury.
I have a problem with the legal concept of parents causing their children
to commit crimes, try being bad parents, he said.
And that's what I think this case represents.
And that's the dangerous part.
This isn't the first time in the U.S.
that a parent has been charged with gun violence.
The mother of a six year old boy in Virginia who took a nine millimeter
semi-automatic handgun to school and shot his teacher last year
serving a 21 month prison sentence on various felony firearm convictions.
And she was sentenced separately in November to two years in prison.
There's also the case of a father in Illinois who pleaded guilty last fall
to seven counts of misdemeanor felony conduct for signing a state firearm
owner identification card for his son, despite concerns about his behavior.
His son was underage at the time, but he was legally allowed to possess
the firearm three years later when he was accused of killing seven people
in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in 2022.
In Jennifer Crumbley's case, prosecutors argued that even though she didn't
pull the trigger, she stored the gun in ammunition in a negligent manner
and should be held criminally responsible for the four deaths.
Prosecutors also said her and her husband, New Ethan, was mentally
in a downward spiral and posed a danger to others, yet allowed him
access to firearms, including the nine millimeter pistol that purchased
as his Christmas present, and that was used to kill his classmates.
To testify in her own defense, saying her husband was responsible
for securely storing firearms in the family home and that while her
son had been anxious about getting into college and what he would do with his life,
she did not think this problem merited seeing a psychiatrist.
I think that's far enough to go.
Please go read the article.
I think there's a few things that it leaves out so far that we need to remember.
The school told them repleted times.
They were worried about this child.
He needs therapy, which they said, no, fuck off.
The day of the school shooting, the principal called and said, your kid
can't be in school right now.
We think he's a threat to others.
They refused to come pick him up and told them that he needs to be in class that day.
Right. Yeah.
They were the one that bought him the gun.
And when they heard there was a school shooting going on at his school,
they texted the son, don't do it.
Right. Yeah.
I remember that now and I think they very clearly knew their son was going to do it.
While there's some things that I think are obviously going to be out of your control,
these are specifically negligent actions and even supplying a weapon knowing
that there could potentially be a problem.
Yeah. Knowing there's a problem.
Yes. And I think it's important to remember, too.
The parents like ran away and went into hiding after the shooting happened.
And it took days to actually find them.
They were trying to get into Canada to like run away.
But we don't have guts in Canada.
Well, we do, but not in the way of the United States.
Well, they were trying to escape prosecution.
But yeah, that's I thought we should do a follow up on that because it's been a long time since we talked about it.
I found it very interesting.
Sorry, mate. Did I miss it?
Did they actually go to course?
She has. Yeah.
She was found guilty.
She hasn't been sent.
I'm serving. Oh, OK.
So her son and husband both pled guilty.
So they're in jail right now.
She pled not guilty and was just found guilty.
And now they have to do a sentencing.
OK. But yeah, in cases where you are very clearly neglectful as a parent to the point where it drives a child to basically do this,
you're going to be held responsible.
And I think that's a reasonable approach.
Yeah, I think especially when it comes to a minor.
Yeah. And yeah, some philosophical things to think about in the next 48 hours.
We'll see you on Friday.
Let's stop. Bye.