Jennifer Crumbley today was found guilty# on four counts of involuntary manslaughter.## Her teenage son, Ethan, killed four students,# Madiyson Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana,## and Justin Shilling, and injured seven others# in 2021 at Oxford High School in Michigan.

The gunman was sentenced to life in# prison without parole back in December.## His mother now faces up to 60 years in# prison and will be sentenced in April.

For more on the verdict and broader# legal questions, we turn to Ekow Yankah,## law professor at the University of Michigan.

Thank you for being back with us.

And Jennifer Crumbley told ke ep track of the gun.

She said she saw# no signs of mental distress in her son.## How were the prosecutors able to convince# the jury that her behavior crossed the line## into recklessness, a conscious disregard,# and ultimately involuntary manslaughter?

EKOW YANKAH, University of Michigan Law School:# You're right that she in some ways tried to blame## what we call the empty chair, that is,# point at a defendant who's n And perhaps that's not surprising.# The trial of the Crumbleys was## meant to be a joint trial and was# separated at the last moment.

So,## many of us speculated that there had# been some legal questions where on them thought the other could be held more# liable or be painted in a worse light.

Ultimately, though, what Jennifer just# couldn't convince the jury of is that,## even given the legal principle that you're# not responsible for someone else's acts,## when she had so many years of notice, so# many troubling moments, so many really## damning facts, when she walked out of that# schoolhouse knowing that her son had a gun,## and having had administrators ask her if she# wanted to take him home, that she could not## have intervened somewhere along the way and saved# four lives and saved seven others from injury.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Crumbleys are the# first parents in U.S. history to stand## trial for a mass school shooting.# James Crumbley, Jennifer's hu will be tried on the same charges next month.# What precedent does her conviction set?

EKOW YANKAH: I think we want to look# at the specific and the general.

Certainly, for him, this is a -- as big# a punch obviously not just because# his wife has been convicted,## but given the closeness of the facts,# it's ominous for h Indeed, I will be interested to see whether or# not he still decides to go to trial, if he decides## that there are some facts that are sufficiently# distinguishing that he doesn't -- isn't looking## at the same thing, obviously, different# case, different jury, but pretty close facts.

For people more generally though, this case both# underscores how really troubling these facts were,## but also underscores how really worrying# it might be for any set of parents,## the parent who's working hard to# keep their son out of gang violence## or keep their son who's struggling with# drugs or alcohol from taking a joyride.

And how that's going to play out once# prosecutors have this new tool is## something that I think the defense really# hoped that juries would hold onto.

And,## lastly, I want to point out that there# are going to be some people who are## convicted that we never hear of, people# who, with this pre would rather plead to a lesser charge now that# prosecutors have this new tool in their arsenal.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's hear from Craig Shilling.# He's the father of one of the victims,## Justin Shilling, and he spoke to# reporters after the verdict came i CRAIG SHILLING, Father of Victim:# Do your diligence with your child.## It is your choice to have a child, and# you cannot choose to not take ca your child.

You cannot choose to not# nurture your child.

You cannot choose## to take your own interests over your child,# especially when it comes to ment GEOFF BENNETT: So it raises the question# of what you just spoke to earlier,## what this means for parents.

I would, I guess,## rephrase the question.

What does this# EK OW YANKAH: Yes, I mean, part# of what's going on here is our## deep divide in the country about# the role guns play i I think there's some set of families that heard,# you bought him a gun for an early Christmas especially a young man who's been# struggling with mental health issues,## and you didn't keep it under lock and key?# That for some families is it led to Michigan passing# new laws about gun storage.

For other people, guns are much more part of their# lives.

Guns are ki firmament, and it's, frankly, not unheard of or# even unusual to get your kid their first gun.

I think we as a country are going to have to# really wrestle with how ordinary we see guns.

And,## certainly, parents who now think a gun is# just part of their culture and their life## have to think about whether or not they# have been sufficiently careful about the## way their child can access that gun,# especially as the child gets older.

GEOFF BENNETT: And this case also represents## an effort to widen the scope o What other implications might that# have?

We saw recently in -- efforts## to file lawsuits against gun# manufacturers in this country.

EKOW YANKAH: Yes, those# have been ongoing lawsuits,## although every time there's a really visible# event, I think you're right.

As much as we wrestle with# these cases in the individual, and though this## conviction is unprecedented, there have# been a few smaller instances of parents## pleading guilty to negligence when they left# the gun around.

I think you're right that these school shootings are so much a heartbreaking# part of our everyday American experience.

And, frankly, they're going to make prosecutors# both angry and perhaps see an opening to either## litigate, find somebody who's guilty and# you might even think, in the worst cases,## for them to make themselves known in# their community for career reasons.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ekow Yankah is a law# professor at the University of Michigan.

Thanks so much for your insights.

EKOW YANKAH: Thank y