USA
Negligent homicide: mother of shooter convicted
The mother of a teenager who shot four students has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter. photo
© Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press Pool via AP/dpa
A teenager shoots four students at a school in Michigan. The murder weapon: a gift from his parents. Now the mother is being held responsible. The ruling is probably a novelty.
The woman was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter, as reported by CNN and the New York Times from the courtroom in Pontiac. The murder weapon was a gift from the parents to their then 15-year-old son. The mother now faces up to 15 years in prison – the sentence is to be announced in April.
Serious allegations were made against the teenager’s parents after the crime because they had bought the murder weapon and given their underage son access to it. They are also said to have ignored warnings from the boy’s school environment. The 45-year-old mother pleaded “not guilty” in the trial. Her husband is scheduled to appear in court in March. The son had pleaded guilty to all 24 charges. Last year he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He did not testify in his mother’s trial.
The jury deliberated for more than ten hours
The case has once again brought into focus the question of parents’ responsibility for their children’s actions. It is rare for parents to be charged and convicted of such acts of violence by minors in schools. Although parents have sometimes been held responsible for negligent behavior in the past, this case appears to be the first time a parent of an underage shooter has been found guilty of negligent homicide. The 12-member jury reportedly deliberated on its verdict for more than ten hours.
Deadly shootings at schools and universities continue to occur in the United States. Gun laws in the United States vary by state, but firearms such as pistols and assault rifles are usually relatively easy to obtain. Stricter gun laws usually fail because of Republicans in Congress and the powerful gun lobby. US President Joe Biden has promised measures to curb gun violence, but so far without concrete results.