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Link to Guidepost Solutions report: https://oxfordresponse.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FINAL-REPORT-OCS_Investigation.pdf

Pages 255 and 260 show the drawings. Conversation with parents starts on page 279.

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"I was just the getaway driver, I didn't know someone would get shot."

You're guilty of murder.

Oh, and the guy that illegally sold the gun to the shooter, he is also guilty.

Participating in or enabling a crime with reasonable knowledge that a crime will be committed is a crime.

Frankly it should be acceptable to refuse to sell a gun to a trans.

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It is said that mental illness is often inherited. These parents obviously have their own struggles and completely failed their son who, clearly, is also ill. Now, they'll all have plenty of time to dwell on this neglect and these deplorable murders. My, how the Crumbleys have crumbled...

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I live 15 minutes from Oxford. In this case, I agree with the sentence.

1) The parents marginally hid the gun in a drawer, unlocked. Not secured at all.

2) Much anecdotal evidence of chronic parental neglect. When they lived in nearby Clarkston, when Ethan was 6, neighbors called CPS for neglect, and nothing was done. On the counseling office visit, dad’s DoorDash route, and mom’s real estate marketing job, were more important than getting him help right away. Mom seemed to care more about their horses than their kid. List goes on and on.

3) Parents ran and hid instead of turning themselves in - there was a manhunt for them.

4) Both parents have serious attitude issues; blame everyone but themselves. Mom was asked during trial if she would do anything differently, and said no (she backpedaled on that before sentencing). Dad unwisely vented how he was going to get the prosecutor, while in jail talking to his sister, on a monitored phone line.

5) Sadly, the backpack was not searched by the counseling office. The gun, ammo and the journal with plans were all in there. It’s an imperfect world. This event has been analyzed by Guidepost Solutions in detail. Now, it’s all clear backpacks , and many other safety measures. But, if the parents had taken him home as requested, this doesn’t happen - at least on November 30, 2021.

I simultaneously feel bad for this kid’s upbringing, while at the same time totally agreeing with his life without parole sentence. The parents were asked to get him help, but a DoorDash route and a real estate marketing job were more important.

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Very good synopsis of the main points. There was a lot of failure all-around, most of it is on the parents.

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I’m glad you mentioned that he had the gun in his backpack. If only the school had exercised their right to look in it. They knew he was troubled. Still the parents get 95% blame here.

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Yes. Apparently it was first left in the classroom when he was sent to the counselor’s office. There have been many ‘if onlys’ about it. Agree it’s mostly on the parents.

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What is their mental health problem(s). They take being clueless to an absurd level.

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They are very self absorbed, and have a pattern of blaming others for everything. There is anecdotal evidence of neglect of their child.

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Narcissistic behavior.

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Yes. And also evidence in the court record that they both abused alcohol, and that he used marijuana daily (legal in MI).

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Yes Eric, and most would agree. This is the kind of serious responsibility required of parents. These parents failed to act and should suffer the consequences of their negligence.

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What parent sees their kid pulling tails off of cats or whatever, and decides “ya know, let’s buy the little psycho a gun.” Jury got it right, indeed. Hope this is the first of many cases holding parents accountable!

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In this case, I thing the conviction and sentence were correct too. The evidence showed clearly that the boy had been telling his parents about his mental health issues, they knew about his disturbing drawings, yet they went and bought him a gun and refused to take action on the very day he committed the crimes. To me, they were complicit thus the consequences were appropriate.

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