New information has been released about the mental state of the 15-year-old alleged shooter in the Michigan school shooting that killed four students and seriously injured seven others on November 30, after his parents gave him a gun for an early Christmas present. Ethan Crumbley’s texts to his parents and friends were presented as evidence at a preliminary hearing. They were disturbing in the extreme. Fox News Detroit:
In an exchange on April 5, 2021, prosecutors described “quite a bit” of discussion about his mental state in which Ethan Crumbley told his friend he was “f—– up,” experiencing hallucinations, and had asked his parents for help.
“Now my mom thinks I take drugs,” one text read, according to the prosecutor. “She thinks that’s the reason why I’m so mad and sad all the time, and she doesn’t worry about my mental health. They make me feel like I’m the problem.”
Another text from Ethan Crumbley to his friend indicated that he had asked his father, James, “to take me to the doctor but he just gave me some pills and told me to suck it up,” the prosecutor read during the hearing.
At one point, Ethan told his friend in a text: “I need help. I was thinking of calling 911 so I could go to the hospital but then my parents would be really pissed,” according to the exchange read in court.
Oxford High School counselor Shawn Hopkins was present in court today and gave testimony. His comments were illuminating. He started talking about the homework that Ethan Crumbley had drawn on, depicting guns and violence, which sparked the meeting between the school and Crumbley’s parents the day of the shooting.
Hopkins testified that he met with Ethan to discuss the homework and assess his mental state. During this conversation, Ethan told the counselor of the drawings: “I can see why this looks bad. I’m not going to do anything,” Hopkins testified.
Hopkins said he “was concerned about suicidal ideation” in Ethan and the Crumbley parents were eventually summoned to the school for a meeting around 10:30 a.m., just a couple of hours before the shooting.
“It was different than other meetings I’ve seen. They weren’t friendly or showing care to their son,” Hopkins told the court, noting how the couple didn’t greet, hug or touch their son when they arrived.
Jennifer and James Crumbley were shown the note and advised that Hopkins was concerned for his well-being. Hopkins testified that he didn’t recall Jennifer speaking to her son during the estimated 15-minute meeting and that James looked over the math assignment with Ethan and told him, “you have people you can talk to.”
The counselor testified that he told the couple Ethan needed mental health support “as soon as possible, today if possible.” But he noted that Jennifer said she had to return to work that day and it wouldn’t be possible within that timeframe.
“I was taken aback by that,” the counselor testified. He added that he then told the parents, “I want him seen within 48 hours. I’ll be following up.”
You know the rest. At 12:51 the shooter allegedly came out of the restroom with a gun in hand and started shooting. Then the parents fled town and became known as the MAGA Bonnie and Clyde.
And then this takes the cake, but it’s not surprising. This came out in testimony by people who worked with Jennifer Crumbley or who took care of the family’s horses.
Five witnesses testified during the first preliminary hearing, which included the caretaker of the Crumbley’s horses who texted with Jennifer the day of the shooting. Three employees from Jennifer’s workplace also testified, including her boss in whom she confided, saying “he’s going to kill himself. He must be the shooter. I need a lawyer. Ethan did it.”
In another text, Jennifer allegedly asked her boss not to judge her for “what my son did.”
“I was surprised by that text. I was surprised she was worried about her job at that time. I thought she’d be more worried about what was going on at that time,” Andrew Smith said.
She was worried about herself. That’s one mark of a sociopath, that no matter what has happened the first question is “what about me? How does this affect me?”
Here’s a sample of the text where demons were discussed.
The kid is obviously fruit loops but she’s too busy riding her horse. Terrific mom. Here’s another one, three days after the one you just read.
Again, these exchanges were happening in March and the parents did nothing. They just let it all continue until Ethan’s unchecked mental illness took the lives of four promising young people.
Ethan will probably go to some facility for the criminally insane. I hope somebody throws the book at his parents and that they’re behind bars for as long as possible.
Some people shouldn’t have kids and the Crumbleys are exhibits “A” and “B.”
Not only do they appear to be sociopaths, as you say, but they seem completely irresponsible about their son. It just blows my mind. They act as though the son is doing things, but they had no part in creating the circumstances.