>>> THIS IS AN NBC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT. HERE'S KATE SNOW. >> GOOD DAY, EVERYONE. WE'RE COMING ON THE AIR WITH BREAKING NEWS OUT OF MICHIGAN. JENNIFER CRUMBLEY, THE FIRST PARENT IN THE U.S. EVER CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO A SCHOOL SHOOTING CARRIED OUT BY HR CHILD HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF FOUR COUNTS OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. IT COME TWO YEARS AFTER HER SON KILLED FOUR STUDENTS AT OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL IN MICHIGAN IN 2021. THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT JUST UNFOLDED IN COURT. >> OF INVOLUME TOWER MANSLAUGHTER, WE FIND THE DEFENDANT GUILTY OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. ON COUNT TWO OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER, WE FIND THE DEFENDANT GUILTY OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. ON COUNT THREE AS TO INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER REGARDING HANNAH, WE FIND THE DEFENDANT GUILTY OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. AND IN COUNT FOUR OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER, WE FIND THE DEFENDANT GUILTY OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. >> THAUPG. >> JENNIFER CRUMBLEY WITH HER EYES CLOSED AS THE VERDICTS WERE READ. LET'S GO TO MAGGIE VESPA, WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TRIAL. FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T FOLLOWED ALL OF THIS, THIS IS AN HISTORIC DECISION BY THIS JURY. >> Reporter: EXACTLY. AS YOU SAID, THIS IS AMERICA'S FIRST PARENT TO EVER BE CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH A MASS SCHOOL SHOOTING CARRIED OUT BY THEIR CHILD. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 2021 MASSACRE AT OXFORD. 15-YEAR-OLD SON ETHAN CRUMBLEY. WHAT PROSECUTORS HAD TO ARGUE WAS ONE OF TWO THINGS. THE JUDGE TELLING THE JURY ABOUT THE BARS TO CLEAR. YESTERDAY REMINDING JURORS EITHER THE PROSECUTION HAD HAD TO PROVE THAT SHE WAS GROSSLY NEGLIGENT IN THE WAY SHE SECURED THE GUN, THAT THE COUPLE HAD GIVEN TO THEIR SON LEADING UP TO THE SHOOTING AND SECURED THE AMMUNITION. THAT GROSS NEGLIGENCE, THE JUDGE INSTRUCTING THE JURY WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE BEEN THE WAY ETHAN GOT ACCESS TO THE GUN AND ALLOW ING HIM TO KILL FOUR CLASSMATES. THAT WAS BAR NUMBER ONE. OR THE JUDGE SAID THE PROSECUTION HAD TO PROVE THAT JENNIFER CRUMBLEY EFFECTIVELY DECLINED TO FULFILL, AS SHE PHRASED IT, HER LEGAL DUTY AS A PARENT IN THE STATE OF NAJ MICHIGAN AND EXERCISE REASONABLE CARE PROTECTING OTHER PEOPLE FROM BEING HURT BY HER CHILD BASED ON WHAT SHE KNEW ABOUT ETHAN'S BEHAVIOR AT THE TIME. THE ENTIRE ARGUMENT FROM THE PROSECUTION SORT OF OVERARCHING IN THIS CASE IS THAT JENNIFER CRUMBLEY IGNORED MOUNTING RED FLAGS ABOUT ETHAN'S MENTAL HEALTH, HIS BEHAVIOR AT THE TIME. HE TEXT HIS MOM SAYING HE WAS SEEING HALLUCINATIONS, SEEING DEMONS IN THEIR HOUSE. TEACHERS HAD FLAGGED MULTIPLE TIMES HE HAD BEEN EXHIBITING VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IN CLASS. ON THE MORNING OF THE SHOOTING, THE DEAN OF STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL AND A GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR CALLING ETHAN'S PARENTS TO THE SCHOOL TO SAY THEY HAD WITNESSED MORE POTENTIALLY VIOLENT BEHAVIOR AND THAT ON A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT HE HAD, HAD HE HAD WRITTEN THINGS LIKE BLOOD WHEREVER AND THE THOUGHTS WON'T STOP. HELP ME. THE CASE HAS BEEN FROM THE PROSECUTION'S SIDE THAT SHE HAD ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AND INSTEAD OF GETTING HER SON HELP, BOTH PARENTS BOUGHT ETHAN A GUN. TOOK HIM TO A SHOOTING RANGE, TAUGHT HIM HOW TO SHOOT AND FAILED TO SECURE THAT GUN LEADING UP TO THE 2021S MASSACRE. IT'S WORTH NOTING JENNIFER'S HUSBAND ALSO CHARGED SEPARATELY. HIS TRIAL IS SET TO BEGIN MARCH 5th. AND PARENTS OF THE VICTIMS HAVE BEEN INSIDE THAT COURTROOM DAY AFTER DAY WATCHING THIS PLAY OUT, WATCHING THE JURY'S REACTIS, WATCHING THEM TAKE NOTES, WATCHING THEM CRY WHILE SO SOME OF THE IMAGES WERE SHOWN DURING THAT TRIAL. AND NOW, THEY ARE GETTING THE VERDICT SO MANY OF THEM WERE HOPING FOR, GUILTY ON ALL FOUR COUNTS. >> WE ONLY SAW WHEN THE VERDICTS WERE READ AND THE REACTION OF JENNIFER. DO WE KNOW IF THERE'S REACTION FROM THE THE FAMILIES OR ARE THEY STILL INSIDE THE COURTROOM? >> Reporter: THEY ARE STILL INSIDE THE COURTROOM AT THIS TIME. THAT HAVE TA MOMENT YOU JUST PLAYED OUT, THEY WENT THROUGH AND DID THE POOL FROM THE JURY, HAVING EACH OF THEM CONFIRM THIS WAS, INDEED, THEIR VERDICT. IT HAS TO BE UNANIMOUS JURY HERE IN MICHIGAN. SO THIS IS STILL ONGOING. WE ARE JUST HERE WAITING FOR THOSE FAMILIES' REACTIONS KNOWING THIS HAS TO BE A SURREAL, GUTTING MOMENT. THEY ARE STILL DEALING WITH THE TRAGEDY THAT UNFOLDED HERE. >> ABSOLUTELY. MAGGIE, THANK YOU. LET ME BRING IN OUR SENIOR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT LAURA JARRETT. THIS IS LEGALLY SPEAKING, A PRETTY UNIQUE SITUATION, A UNIQUE FINDING BY THIS JURY. TALK ABOUT THAT AND WHAT THE BAR WAS FOR THIS JURY TO DECIDE SHE'S GUILTY ON ALL FOUR COUNTS. >> IT'S AN HISTORIC RULING. THE PROSECUTORS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A THE REALLY UPHILL BATTLE FOR THEM. THEY HAD TO CONVINCE THIS JURY THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE, THAT AS A MOTHER SHE SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THE WARNING SIGNS. SHE SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED HER SON'S CRIES FOR HELP, THEN 15 YEARS OLD, DRAWING DISTURBING PICTURES, EVEN ON THE MORNING OF THAT SHOOTING, DECIDING NOT TO TAKE HIM OUT OF SCHOOL DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE SCHOOL HAD CALLED HER AND HER HUSBAND UP THERE SAYING, LOOK WHAT HE'S DRAWING. YOU NEED TO GET HIM INTO COUNSELLING WITHIN 48 HOURS. INSTEAD, THEY LEFT HIM AT THAT SCHOOL. THAT'S WHEN THE SHOOTING TOOK PLACE. IT'S INTERESTING. THIS IS A JURY THAT HAD PARENTS ON THERE. YET, THIS IS STILL THE DECISION THEY REACHED. SHE NOW FACES UP TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER. INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER DOES NOT REQUIRE INTENT. IT DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT SHE HAND HER SON THE GUN KNOWING HE WAS GOING TO DO THAT, BUT THEED IDEA HERE IS THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FORESEE THE TOXIC MIX THAT WAS AT PLAY HERE AND SHOULD HAVE GUARDED AGAINST THE FACT THAT HER SON HAD ACCESS TO THIS HANDGUN WHILE DEALING WITH THESE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. AS MAGGIE MENTIONED, THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE ROAD FOR THIS FAMILY. JAMES, THE FATHER, NOW FACES A TRIAL. THEY HAVE HAD THEIR TRIAL SEPARATED HERE. THEY ASKED TO HAVE THAT. AND THEY ALSO HOPED THEIR SON ETHAN WOULD TESTIFY. HE WAS FOUND GUILTY FACING LIFE IN PRISON, BUT HIS ATTORNEYS DECIDED NOT TO LET HIM TESTIFY AS HE'S TRYING TO APPEAL THAT SENTENCE. SO SHE WAS FORCED TO GO TO TRIAL WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF HER SON SAYING, LOOK, MY MOM DIDN'T REALIZE HOW BAD THINGS WERE. THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING SHE WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF. SHE DID TESTIFY IN THIS CASE, BUT CLEARLY, THIS JURY DECIDING SHE SHOULD FACE CONSEQUENCES FOR WHAT HAPPENED HERE. >> LET ME BRING IN LEGAL ANALYST DANNY SA VO LOWS. I'M LOOKING AT NOTES ABOUT LAST WEEK WHEN THE DEFENSE HAD JENNIFER TESTIFY. SHE SAID I DON'T THINK I'M A FAILURE AS A PARENT AND I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY. SHE PARENTED HER SON THE WAY SHE DID AND SHE DIDN'T REGRET -- RATHER, SHE DID SAY SHE REGRETS WHAT HER SON DID, BUT SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO. OBVIOUSLY, THE JURY DID NOT BELIEVE THAT ARGUMENT FROM THE DEFENSE. >> IT MAY HAVE SOUNDED INSENSITIVE, BUT THE STRATEGY THERE WAS LIKELY TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE JURY THAT SHE COULDN'T HAVE REMORSE FOR THAT WHICH SHE NEVER KNEW ABOUT. THAT WAS THE KEY TO THE DEFENSE. THE PROSECUTION'S THEORY WAS THAT THE DEFENDANT CONSCIOUSLY DISREGARDED RED FLAGS. THE DEFENSE CALLED THE CLIENT TO TESTIFY THAT SHE DIDN'T SEE RED FLAGS OR THAT THESE RED FLAGS WERE NOT RED FLAGS AT ALL. THEIR SON TALKED ABOUT THE HOUSE BEING HAUNTED. THAT, SHE SAID, WAS A RUNNING JOKE IN THE HOUSEHOLD THAT THE HOUSE WAS HAUNTED. IT WAS A RISKY MOVE. IT WAS A GAMBIT. AND A GAMBIT THAT APPARENTLY THE JURY WAS NOT CONVINCED BY. BUT IN A SENSE, YOU NORMALLY DON'T CALL YOUR CLIENT TO THE STAND UNLESS YOU HAVE A PIECE OF INFORMATION YOU HAVE TO GET FROM HER. YOU CAN'T GET IT ANYWHERE ELSE. IN THISES CASE, IT WAS JUST TOO BIG OF A HILL TO CLIMB FOR THIS DEFENDANT. >> LAOS ARE, LET RA, DOES THIS SET ANY KIND OF PRECEDENT FOR OTHER SHOOTINGS, FOR OTHER CASES? >> I THINK THE PROSECUTION WOULD SAY YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE EVERY PARENT OF A MASS SHOOTER TRIED. BUT WHEN I WHAT I THINK IT DOES DO IS OPEN THE DOOR TO SHOW JURIES MIGHT BE RECEPTIVE TO IT IN THE RIGHT CASE WHERE YOU HAVE A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE SEASON IGNORED A BUNCH OF RED FLAGS. ESSENTIALLY, TURNED A BLIND EYE TO THEIR CHILD'S CRY FOR HELP. AND IT DOESN'T MEAN WE'LL SEE IT IN EVERY STATE AND EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT THIS JURY WENT FOR IT. >> LAURA, THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES THIS NBC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT. WE'LL HAVE
