‘I’m Going To Get Drunk’: Jury Will See Dismissive Text From Mother To Michigan School Shooter As He Expressed Fears Over Delusions

Text messages between convicted school shooter Ethan Crumbley and his mother, Jennifer, will be presented before a Michigan jury deciding whether to hold her criminally liable in her son’s 2021 crime.

The text exchange between Ethan and his mother took place in March 2021, “a matter of months before the mass shooting,” according to CNN correspondent Jean Casarez. The prosecution argued that the texts proved she was aware of her son’s mental health crisis and failed to act.

“And in those texts, he says, ‘I’m home, I think somebody’s in here, the door is slamming, somebody walked in, they flushed the toilet, but I don’t think anybody is here. Maybe these are my delusions. Can’t you respond to me?'” Casarez said.

Jennifer Crumbley’s answer was, “I’m going to get drunk and ride my horse.”

The attorneys also sparred over whether the presence of alcohol in the home could be discussed before the jury.

The prosecutor argued, “The counsel specifically said, I think more than once, that her client is a highly-vigilant mother. Nobody says anything about having a cocktail, but when there’s evidence to shows they are drinking when the son is texting things to the mother, no call back — that is important, and It’s important to show the jury what they actually did and spent their time on.”

Casarez said the judge decided to allow the texts into the record, because it showed the mother’s intent.

“It shows the state of mind of the mother,” Casarez said. “Her son is calling out, crying out, saying, ‘I think I’m having delusions, the wall is falling in.’ And those texts we’ve seen, he wrote those texts, and the mother didn’t respond, and now saying she’s going to ride her horse and get drunk.”

Ethan Crumbley was 15-years old at the time he shot and killed four students at Oxford High School, and injured seven others. He was sentenced to life in prison. Ethan’s parents, Jennifer and James, each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter for their alleged roles in the tragedy.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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