(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, Pool)

For the first time, a parent of a school shooter was found guilty of manslaughter. What led to the unprecedented charges, and what does this mean for future school shooting cases?

A Preventable Tragedy

On November 30, 2021, Jennifer Crumbley and her husband, James, were called to their son’s Michigan school, Oxford High School. Teachers were concerned about their 15-year-old son Ethan. School officials found a disturbing drawing of a gun that Ethan had created and they were concerned about Ethan’s mental health.

Jennifer and James choose to leave Ethan at school after the meeting. Just a few hours later, Ethan would go on to shoot and kill four of his classmates.

The semi-automatic handgun that Ethan used to shoot his classmates was purchased a few days early by Jennifer and James. It was given to Ethan as an early Christmas present. Ethan had full access to the gun, which was not properly secured.

Jennifer and James failed to inform the school that their son had access to a gun or remove him from school the day of the shooting, and now, they are both facing serious consequences for their actions.

Both Jennifer and James were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one charge for each of the people killed by their son.

On February 6, 2024, Jennifer was found guilty of all four manslaughter charges.

What Is a Manslaughter Charge?

In the court system, manslaughter is different from murder in that manslaughter is not premeditated or planned. Manslaughter is used when a party’s action or inaction leads to the death of another person.

In the case of Jennifer Crumbley, her inaction led to her son committing murder. The prosecution proved:

• She failed to act when presented with evidence that an ordinary person would recognize as having the potential to create harm.
• Her gross negligence led to the deaths of the students.

Jennifer’s case took place after her son had already pleaded guilty to 24 charges, which included four counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

During Jennifer’s case, the jury viewed over 400 pieces of evidence and heard from 20 witnesses, which included law enforcement officials and school staff members. Ethan did not testify. The jury took roughly two days to deliver a unanimous guilty verdict.

Jennifer now awaits her sentencing, which will be decided by a judge on April 9, 2024. Each manslaughter count carries a potential penalty of 15 years in prison. Jennifer faces up to 60 years in prison.

Jennifer is the first parent to face serious consequences for a mass shooting committed by their child. Next, Ethan’s father will stand trial against the same charges as his wife in March 2024.

Other Cases of Parents Charged in School Shootings

While this is the first time a parent has faced serious criminal consequences for their child committing a school shooting, it is not the first time a parent has faced charges.

In 2022, Robert Crimo Jr. is said to have known that his son wanted to “kill everyone,” but he still sponsored his son’s application for a state gun ownership permit, as reported by the New York Times. Robert Crimo III was 19 at the time he obtained a gun. Two years later, he would use it to kill seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years of probation, and 100 hours of public service, as reported by the New York Times.

Another case of a parent being held responsible for their child carrying out a shooting is Deja Taylor. The woman’s six-year-old took a gun from her home to school and proceeded to shoot and injure a teacher. Taylor was sentenced to two years in prison for felony child neglect, per reporting by CBS News.

What Does This Mean for Other School Shootings?

Parents of school shooters have faced consequences in the legal system before, but the charges were often primarily civil charges. For example, dozens of civil lawsuits have been filed by parents of students who died or were injured in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and as far back as the Columbine shooting, two parents sued the parents of the shooters.

But this case creates precedent for parents to now be held liable for serious criminal charges if their child commits a crime and they had an opportunity to prevent it, but failed to do so.

Related: What’s the Difference Between a Civil and Criminal Case? 

Standing Against Gun Violence

As the Executive Director and Board Member of The Oulson Family Foundation, TJ Grimaldi stands with the victims of gun violence. TJ works to help kids get what they need in the wake of being impacted by gun violence. Learn more about The Oulson Family Foundation and see how you can also help victims of gun violence.

If you are involved in a legal case, whether it is a criminal or civil, talk to an attorney right away. Get your questions answered. Schedule your free call with TJ Grimaldi today. Request your consultation or call 813-226-1023

Screenshot from @trevorjacob YouTube channel

Views equal money on YouTube, and Trevor Daniel Jacob was willing to do whatever he needed to increase views of his videos — even if it meant crashing a plane into the California hillside.

What did Jacbo do, and what consequences does he face for the stunt?

A Plane Crashes in the Woods

On November 24, 2021, YouTube creator and former Olympic snowboarder Trevor Daniel Jacob took off in his private plane from Lompoc City Airport in Santa Barbara County, California. His destination was Mammoth Lakes, according to a news release from the Central District of California.

Jacob was alone in the plane, which was set up with cameras both inside and outside, and he was wearing a parachute.

Roughly 35 minutes into flying, when the plane was over Los Padres National Forest near Santa Maria, Jacob opened the door and jumped out. Filming himself with a selfie stick, Jacob documented his free fall, parachute deployment, and safe landing.

The plane was left unmanned and crashed into the hillside.

Jacob walked to the wreckage and took footage of the aftermath of the crash. Roughly one month later, on December 23 Jacob uploaded the video to his YouTube channel and titled it “I Crashed My Airplane.”

A Miracle or a Stunt?

Jacob’s YouTube video framed the crash as an accident. Jacob acted as though it was an inevitable disaster that he had survived, but viewers thought something was up. They commented that it was suspicious Jacob was wearing a parachute and that he had not attempted an emergency landing.

Authorities were also suspicious.

Two days after the accident, Jacob had informed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the plane crash. He told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector that the airplane’s engine had quit, and he had parachuted out of the plane because he could not identify any safe landing options.

At that time, Jacob agreed to help with the investigation and share the location of the crash. Authorities told him not to disturb the scene of the crash as they wanted to conduct an investigation.

Then, Jacob changed his story.

He reportedly told federal prosecutors in the Central District of California that he did not know the location of the wreckage, and he made it so investigators would never find the plane.

Related: Get Good Legal Representation by Asking This One Question

A Lie and a Confession

On December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew a helicopter to the plane wreckage. They attached the wreckage to the helicopter and carried it to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County, where it was loaded onto a trailer attached to Jacob’s pickup truck.

Investigators say Jacob took the wreckage and then dismantled it in an attempt to dispose of the evidence.

Jacob’s attempt to hide what happened that day was in vain. Investigators eventually accused Jacob of wrongdoing and he came forward with a confession.

Jacob told investigators the crash was a stunt done to create a video for a sponsorship with a wallet company.

Related: If You’re Arrested for a Crime, Immediately Take These 6 Steps

Facing the Consequences

Jacob admitted to all wrongdoing. He plead guilty to destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. The charges he faced carried a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the Central District of California’s statement.

Instead of facing potentially lengthy time, Jacob signed a plea deal that sentenced him to six months in federal prison.

While Jacob’s attorneys fought for no jail time, prosecutors argued a prison sentence was “necessary to prevent others from attempting this type of stunt,” according to reporting by CNN.

Jacob’s video documenting the crash is still on YouTube, and it has received 4.5 million views.

Related: What to Ask During a Free Consultation with a Lawyer

Criminal Charges Are a Serious Matter

Criminal charges are a serious matter. If you are charged with a crime, don’t go into the case alone. Get an experienced criminal defense attorney by your side who can guide you through the process and lead you to the best possible outcome.

If you have a case to review, get a free consultation today. Share the details of your case with TJ Grimaldi. Request your consultation or call 813-226-1023.

A college student didn’t think much about it when she ordered a lemonade from Panera Bread, but less than 24 hours later, she was dead. Her family says the drink, and Panera’s failure to properly label it, caused their daughter’s death.

Now they are suing the company for wrongful death. Can the family prove a lemonade killed their daughter?

An Ordinary Day Leads to a Tragic Death

September 10, 2022, was a fairly normal day for 21-year-old college student Sarah Katz. Katz was a student at the University of Pennsylvania and had recently purchased an Unlimited Sip Club membership from Panera Bread, which allows customers to pay a monthly fee for unlimited drinks.

Katz went to Panera to fill up a drink and chose a “Charged Lemonade.”

A few hours later, Katz collapsed while out at a restaurant with friends. Katz was rushed to the hospital where she went into cardiac arrest and died, according to NBC News.

The college student’s cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrhythmia due to long QT syndrome.

A Lifelong Avoidance of Energy Drinks

Katz and her family knew her heart didn’t function like other people’s hearts. At the age of five, Katz was diagnosed with the heart condition Long QT Type 1 Syndrome. “Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a rare disorder of the heart’s electrical system that can lead to dangerous heart rhythms, fainting, and sudden cardiac arrest,” says Stanford Medicine.

Katz took daily medication and made lifestyle choices to manage her disorder. She was aware that consuming drinks with high caffeine-levels was not good for her condition, and she avoided energy drinks. Katz’s family said she would not have ordered a Charged Lemonade if she knew it was an energy drink.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family says Katz would have assumed caffeine was in the drink, but that she would have been unable to discern how much caffeine was actually in the drink. The suit says she would have been “reasonably confident it was a traditional lemonade and/or electrolyte sports drink containing a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink.”

The lawsuit says the caffeine level in Panera’s Charged Lemonade is actually more than a 12 oz. Red Bull and a 16 oz. Monster Energy Drink combined and that combination of caffeine is what killed their daughter.

Related:Examples of Wrongful Death Cases Worth Fighting For

Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Panera

The failure to properly label the lemonade as an energy drink is at the heart of the wrongful death lawsuit the family filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

The lawsuit alleges that Panera, “did not market, advertise, and sell Panera Charged Lemonade in the store as an ‘energy drink,’ which is a drink containing large amounts of caffeine, added sugar, other additives, and stimulants, such as guarana and/or taurine and/or L-carnitine (‘stimulants’).”

The Panera website described the drink as “the ultimate energy drink guaranteed to charge up your day” although the in-store signage was less clear.

Katz’s family says their daughter could not have known about the high levels of caffeine in the drink, according to Fox News 13. They are seeking “compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest, costs of suit, and such other relief as this Honorable Court may deem appropriate and just.”

Related: How Do You Sue for Wrongful Death? 

What Does It Take to Win a Wrongful Death Case?

To prove fault in the wrongful death case, Katz’s family will need to show that Panera was aware of an unsafe condition but failed to act and that their inaction directly led to Katz’s death.

The lawsuit alleges that Panera knew the drink “could injure children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people sensitive to caffeine – including those with underlying heart problems – by causing catastrophic injuries and/or death” but failed to properly warn customers.

Since Katz’s death, Panera has changed some of the labeling on the drink. According to USA Today, Panera has added language to their website that says, “Use in moderation. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.” It is unclear if the signage around the drink in stores has changed.

Related: A Mac and Cheese Lawsuit and 400+ Other Food Lawsuits Filed by a NY Attorney

Get Justice for Yourself or a Loved One

Companies have a reasonable responsibility to inform customers about the potential dangers of their products and services. If you or a loved one have been injured due to the failure of a company to properly warn consumers, talk to a wrongful death attorney or personal injury attorney right away.

An experienced attorney can help you get justice for you or your loved one and hold the responsible parties accountable. If you have a case to discuss, request a free consultation with TJ Grimaldi. Call 813-226-1023 or contact our office today.

In 2020, Henry Ruggs III was looking ahead to a dazzling career in the NFL. Drafted by the Las Vegas Raider, Ruggs had a multimillion-dollar contract in hand. But it all disappeared one night in 2021 when Ruggs got behind the wheel while drunk and killed a woman and her dog.

Ruggs now faces consequences for his actions.

A Bad Decision Leads to a Loss of Life

Henry Ruggs III was selected as the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. With a contract worth $16.67 million and a successful first year as a wide receiver, Ruggs was looking toward a bright future. Then, everything changed when Ruggs got behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Corvette on November 2, 2021.

Ruggs had spent several hours drinking with friends at a sports entertainment site and golfing venue before he and his girlfriend attempted to drive home.

According to airbag computer records in Ruggs’ vehicle, his car reached a speed of 156 mph before slowing to 127 mph and crashing into a Toyota Rav 4.

The impact caused the Rav 4 to burst into flames, killing the woman, Tina Tintor, and her dog inside. Ruggs and his girlfriend, Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, were also injured with non-life-threatening injuries and taken to a nearby hospital.

At the hospital, Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was taken. It was .161, more than double the legal limit.

Related: Arrested for a DUI in Florida? Here’s What to Do Next 

Ruggs Faced More Than 40 Years in Prison

Ruggs was charged with a total of five crimes.

He faced two felonies related to the death of Tintor: DUI resulting in death and reckless driving resulting in death. He also faced two charges related to the injuries sustained by his girlfriend who was in the car with him. The charges were also felonies: DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and reckless driving resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Ruggs also faced a misdemeanor charge. He had a loaded firearm in the vehicle which led him to be charged with unlawful gun possession.

Under Nevada law, the potential consequences for the charges left Ruggs facing more than 40 years in prison. Now almost two years after the accident, Ruggs is about to start his jail time, which is much less than 40 years.

Related: What to Expect From a First Offense DUI

A Plea Deal Cuts Ruggs’ Jail Time

Ruggs and the prosecutors came to a plea deal that prevented the case from going to trial. Reportedly, both sides had something to gain from the deal.

Prosecutors were worried that they may not be able to use Ruggs’ blood drawings that showed his intoxication levels at trial. Defense attorneys argued that Ruggs’ blood-alcohol test was improperly obtained at the hospital, which meant courts could have suppressed the results of the blood test. Since no field sobriety test was conducted, there would be no additional evidence that Ruggs was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

The defense team sought a plea deal because it could guarantee a lighter sentence for Ruggs. Rather than face up to forty years in prison, Ruggs will now face three to ten years.

Ruggs pleaded guilty to a felony charge of driving under the influence of alcohol causing death and to a misdemeanor charge for vehicular manslaughter, according to the Associated Press.

Other charges in the case were dropped as part of the plea deal, including the charges related to the injuries sustained by his girlfriend and to the misdemeanor gun charge.

Related: What To Do About a DUI License Suspension in Florida

How Much Time Will Ruggs Actually Serve?

Ruggs was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison.

After the accident, Ruggs posted a $150,000 bail for his release and has been on house arrest pending the results of the case. He spent a year and a half on house arrest and cannot convert the time spent on house arrest to time served, per the Associated Press.

After three years, Ruggs will be eligible for parole.

Related: How Long Does a DUI Stay on Your Record?

Talk to an Experienced DUI Attorney

Driving under the influence is a serious crime, and the repercussions of a DUI accident can change lives forever. If you have been charged with a DUI, whether it involves someone being injured or not, talk to a DUI attorney right away.

Get an expert attorney by your side who can guide you through the lengthy legal process and protect your rights. If you have been charged with a DUI, request your free consultation with TJ Grimaldi today. Request your consultation or call 813-226-1023 today.

Two years ago, Travis Rudolph went from being a lead receiver at Florida State University to being charged with murder. His case finally came to an end on June 8, 2023 when Rudolph was found not guilty on all charges.

What led to the charges against Rudolph and how did the jury come to a not guilty verdict?

What Led to Charges Against Rudolph?

Travis Rudolph’s life changed on April 6, 2021. That night, Rudolph and his girlfriend got into an argument at Rudolph’s Florida home. Reports by the Tampa Bay Times indicate that both parties said the fight got physical before Rudolph’s girlfriend left the scene.

Shortly after she left, Rudolph’s girlfriend reportedly began contacting people about what happened. She told Rudolph’s sister that she was going to send someone to kill Rudolph and texted another friend to “shoot his s–t up.”

Around midnight, Rudolph’s four men showed up to Rudolph’s house, one who Rudolph said he believed was in a gang. Each party has different versions of what happened next. Rudolph claimed that one of the men pointed a firearm at him, at which time, Rudolph says he went inside to get his gun.

Investigators say Rudolph shot 39 rounds at the men as they attempted to flee in a black Cadillac. He shot two men, injuring one and killing another.

Rudolph was arrested and charged with one charge of first-degree murder with a firearm and three charges of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.

Related: If You’re Arrested for a Crime, Immediately Take These 6 Steps

Making a Case for “Stand Your Ground”

This blog covered the story in September 2021 as Rudolph began to make the case that the shooting was in self-defense.

Rudolph’s attorney, Marc Shiner, invoked “stand your ground” laws as Rudolph’s legal defense.

In Florida, stand your ground laws come from Florida Statute Sections 776.012 and 776.013. The laws indicate that someone can use deadly force to protect themself if they feel their life is at stake and that individuals do not have to retreat before using deadly force.

Statute 776.012 says, “A person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.”

Rudolph’s team petitioned Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen to dismiss the case on the basis of stand your ground laws. The request was denied, and the judge ordered the case to go to trial, per reporting by the Palm Beach Post.

Related: The Best Criminal Defense Attorneys Have These 7 Qualities

Jury Finds Rudolph Not Guilty

As Rudolph’s case made its way through the court system, he spent one year behind bars in Palm Beach County and another year under house arrest, according to court reports reviewed by CNN.

Rudolph’s case was finally heard in front of a jury starting on May 31, 2023. The trial lasted eight days and included testimony from Rudolph and his mother, who was in the house at the time of the altercation and subsequent shooting.

Rudolph insisted that he feared for his life when he opened fire. “I’m not guilty,” he said. “Because I was saving my and my brother’s life.”

Video evidence that captured some of the scene in front of Rudoph’s door was also shown to the jury. Prosecutors said the video didn’t show the level of danger described by Rudolph.

In the end, the jury made their decision.

They believed Rudolph’s case of self-defense and found him not guilty of one count of first-degree premeditated murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Related: 6 Signs You Need a New Attorney

Don’t Approach a Criminal Defense on Your Own

Facing criminal charges is a serious matter. If you have been charged with a crime, make sure you talk to an experienced criminal defense attorney right away.

Explore your options, develop the best defense, and ensure that your rights are protected through each step of the legal process. If you have questions about an upcoming case, talk to TJ Grimaldi today. All consultations are free. Contact our team today. Schedule or call 813-226-1023 now.