The foreperson of the jury in the Jennifer Crumbley trial spoke on TODAY about the key pieces of evidence that played a role in their decision to convict the mother of school shooter Ethan Crumbley on four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Alex, the jury foreperson who is only being identified by her first name due to privacy concerns, told TODAY's Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 7 that each person on the jury had varying opinions on what led them to the guilty verdict, but for her, it came down to one piece of evidence.
"For me, I just feel like Jennifer didn't separate her son from the gun enough to save those lives that day," Alex said.
The unanimous decision to convict Crumbley marked the first time that a parent in the United States has been held responsible for their child carrying out a mass school shooting.
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Alex added she thought the responsibility of securing the gun used in the mass shooting fell on Jennifer Crumbley because she was the last person to handle the weapon.
"There was definitely a weight," Alex said. "I think anytime we entered the courtroom, there was an undeniable weight on us. We all took the responsibility that was put upon us seriously and I'm just one of 12 that made a very difficult decision."
Jennifer Crumbley's son Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year for killing four students at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan on Nov. 30, 2021.
Prosecutors argued that Jennifer Crumbley knew her son was asking for help before the attack, presenting evidence throughout the trial, including text messages and drawings in his notebook.
"To me personally, it wasn’t as impactful as the evidence of her having the gun, but I know for my fellow jurors that the notebook played a huge part," Alex said.
During Jennifer Crumbley's trial, she took the stand in her own defense, telling jurors she could not have stopped her son and that she had no idea he was planning the attack.
Alex said Jennifer Crumbley's testimony that she wouldn't do anything differently leading up to the shooting played a part in the jury's deliberations.
"It was repeated a lot in the deliberation room," Alex said. "I think that it was very upsetting to hear. I think that there were many small things that could have been done to prevent this."
Alex said she listened to Jennifer Crumbley's testimony, "but once we went into deliberation, it became clear that she wasn't a super reliable witness in this case."
On Feb. 1, the judge on the case decided that existing case law prevented defense attorneys from calling Ethan Crumbley, now 17, to the stand because he said would have likely pleaded the fifth.
Alex said she wasn't sure how much testimony from Ethan Crumbley "would have helped or hurt" Jennifer Crumbley's case.
The jury deliberated for about two days before reaching the guilty verdict, and Jennifer Crumbley was silent and stoic in the courtroom as the verdict was announced on Feb. 6.
Jennifer Crumbley’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 9, where she faces a maximum of 15 years for each count.
Alex said she used her role as jury foreperson as "a job of facilitation."
"That was the role that I took on as the foreperson," she said. "It was not immediately unanimous, and it was my responsibility to hear the concerns of those on either side and construct an argument either way."
The families of the victims of the shooting told NBC News they hope the verdict will help prevent future tragedies.
"The bleeding has to stop," said Craig Shilling, who lost his 17-year-old son Justin in the 2021 shooting. "We can’t just continue living life with the uncertainty of whether or not our kids are going to come home from school."
Steve St. Juliana, the father of 14-year-old shooting victim Hana, thanked the jury for "using common sense."
It’s a bit of a wake up call for people to realize that they have to take a bit of responsibility," he said.
Ethan Crumbley's parents Jennifer and James Crumbley were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter days after the shooting in 2021. James Crumbley's trial is set to begin next month, and he has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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