The trial of school shooter father James Crumbley has continued Monday with testimony from a counselor over alarming red flags exhibited before the 2021 Oxford High School massacre.
Taking the stand on the third day of the involuntary manslaughter trial, school counselor Shawn Hopkins testified that they could ‘see the sadness’ inside Ethan Crumbley shortly before he killed four classmates and injured seven others.
He said he became increasingly concerned by Ethan’s behavior in the lead up to the tragedy, culminating in disturbing drawings of shootings on his homework on the morning of the shooting.
The homework took center stage last month when James’ wife Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of the same charges her estranged husband is now facing, and she faces decades in prison when she is sentenced in April.
School counselor Shawn Hopkins (pictured) testified on Monday that he ‘could see the sadness’ in Ethan Crumbley shortly before he opened fire on dozens of classmates
James Crumbley (seen on the third day of his trial on Monday) is facing involuntary manslaughter charges over his son Ethan’s 2021 school shooting
Ethan Crumbley is now serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 Oxford High School mass shooting, where he killed four classmates and injured seven others
On the morning of the school shooting, teachers became concerned after finding alarming drawings and writings on his homework, including drawings of shooting victims around ‘the thoughts won’t stop… Help me’
Prosecutors allege that James and Jennifer both ignored Ethan’s cries for mental health support before the shooting, with James also buying his son the handgun used in the shooting four days prior.
At Jennifer’s trial in February, jurors were also shown diary entries from Ethan where he wrote: ‘I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help.’
On the morning of the shooting, James and Jennifer Crumbley had been summoned to their son’s school due to the alarming homework, but they declined to take him home.
Hopkins, the person who found the disturbing homework, testified that he was particularly concerned over writing that Ethan left around drawings of dead bodies, including ‘the thoughts won’t stop… help me.’
After finding the homework, Hopkins added that Ethan declared in a private meeting that he ‘can see why (the homework) looks bad, but I’m not going to do anything.’
Monday’s trial saw the jury shown a number of emails exchanged by teachers about the student, including one where they said he was going through a ‘tough time’ and to keep an extra eye on his behavior.
The counselor said they were initially concerned by Ethan searching firearms and ammunition online during class days before, but admitted that it didn’t seem especially concerning and wasn’t out of the ordinary for other students.
Ethan’s behavior then escalated to the morning of the shooting, where he had made the drawings of shootings on his schoolwork. Unbeknownst to others, Ethan had also secretly stashed his handgun bought by his father in his backpack.
He said James and Jennifer were both called into school that morning after Hopkins said the drawings ‘led me to believe he would hurt himself.’
Monday’s trial saw the jury shown a number of emails exchanged by teachers about the student, including one where they said he was going through a ‘tough time’ and to keep an extra eye on his behavior
Ethan’s mother Jennifer Crumbley (pictured testifying in her own trial on February 1)
At Jennifer’s trial in February, jurors were also shown diary entries from Ethan where he wrote: ‘I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help’
To justify the drawings, Hopkins said Ethan claimed they were depicting a video game, and was practicing as he had ambitions to ‘go into video game design’ – but Hopkins added that he was not convinced by this due to the graphic nature of the drawings.
‘They didn’t look like they were from a video game,’ he said.
The counselor testified that Ethan had told him he was going through a tough time at home prior to the shooting, including that his dog and a family relative had died recently, and was struggling with school during Covid lockdowns.
‘I could see his sadness,’ the teacher added.
James is accused of failing to appropriately secure the gun at home alongside ignoring his son’s signs of mental distress.
On Friday, the court heard how once word of an active-shooter was out, he drove to a parking lot used as a reunification center for parents and kids, and desperately called his son, not knowing that he was already in police custody.
James Crumbley then called his wife, Jennifer, and then drove home and called 911.
He said he ‘immediately raced home’ when he learned about the shooting and ‘found the gun missing.’
‘I called you guys right away to let you know,’ James Crumbley said of a 911 call.
The gun, a Sig Sauer 9mm, was intended to be locked with a cable lock given to James when he bought the gun, which was still in its package from when it was purchased days before.
James Crumbley breaks down in tears as jurors hear details of his son’s school shooting on the first day of his trial on Thursday
On Friday, James broke down in tears as footage of the shooting was shown during testimony from Ethan’s assistant principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall.
She recalled seeing Ethan in the hallway with the firearm and looking him in the eyes, before she saw one of his victims on the ground.
‘As he walked by I asked him if he was OK, what was going on,’ Gibson-Marshall said. ‘He looked away from me, and I knew for sure he was the shooter because he would’ve talked to me if he were not.’
James appeared to dab tears from his eyes as the assistant principal narrated the footage of Ethan moving through the halls of the school.