(NewsNation) — Friday was the second day of the trial for James Crumbley, the father of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley. The case is an unprecedented one with the Crumbleys being charged with involuntary manslaughter for their son’s actions.
Jennifer Crumbley, Ethan’s mother, has already been convicted. The jury foreperson of the case joined NewsNation’s “CUOMO” to discuss how they arrived at a verdict.
Alex, whose last name is not being used due to safety concerns, told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo that jurors decided early on they weren’t going to view the case as a question or good or bad parenting but focus on the criminal aspect.
“They could have been the worst parents, but were they responsible for the crime?” Alex explained. She said the focus was on Jennifer Crumbley’s behavior, not her son’s.
“We were looking at her actions and her behavior and we found that it was criminally negligent,” she said.
Alex said James Crumbley’s actions did come up in the trial, even if they weren’t the focus for jurors.
“James is the one who purchased the gun. He went to the gun store, picked it out, he bought it,” Alex said. “So the finger-pointing at him as the responsible party was made in that context.”
Despite that, Alex said jurors found Jennifer Crumbely’s behavior to be criminally negligent.
“Once we came to the conclusion that she was the last one to handle the gun at the gun range and then later on posting a picture of it on Instagram, her guilt became a little more clear,” she said.
As for James Crumbley, Alex says based on her experience she thinks it’s possible a jury will find him guilty, as well.
“I think that it’s very possible,” she said. “In fact, I think that it’s likely.”