Ethan Crumbley parents James and Jennifer Crumbley compared to Brian Laundrie parents as #WorstParentsAward as social media takes aim at one Florida couple and Michigan couple in the wake of a new tragedy.
Social media has been swift and unmerciful in its expression of disgust and horror following news of alleged Michigan school shooter parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley being criminally complicit in their son’s shooting spree that left four dead and seven people injured.
In a trending hashtag, #WorstParentsAward, James and Jennifer Crumbley are being compared to Brian Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, after facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter each, for failing to preempt their 15 year old son on going on a murder spree, after purchasing a semi automatic as a Christmas present for the teen.
Calls from the public to be meted out the most severe punishment were echoed after revelations the couple instead of surrendering to authorities on Friday afternoon- had instead sought to flee – before their eventual arrest and capture following a manhunt.
The couple were captured by the Detroit police, following a tip which led to the parents being found in the basement of a commercial building on the 1100 block of Bellevue Street in Detroit, less than half a mile from the Canadian border.
The couple was found a short while after the vehicle tied to the couple had been located by a Detroit business owner late Friday. The pair are expected to be booked into the Oakland County Jail.
Culture of permissiveness and failure to take responsibility
The couple’s indictment, capture and arrest has since led to social media comparing James and Jennifer Crumbley to the parents in the Brian Laundrie case. Intrigue and conspiracy as to possible involvement of his missing girlfriend’s strangling murder, led to many speculating that Chris and Roberta Laundrie had covered for their son upon his return to Florida without Gabby Petito, 22.
Even after their son fled their North Port, Florida home, the parents continued to remain tight lipped, only to reveal weeks later, the location they believed their son may have fled to- with the man’s skeletal remains soon found at nearby Carlton Reserve – a roughly 25,000-acre wetlands area in Sarasota County. Brian Laundrie’s death was ruled the result of a self inflicted gunshot suicide.
Like the Laundries, the Crumbleys had refused to cooperate with investigators, instead choosing to plead the 5th amendment. And like the Laundrie’s, questions were raised as to why James and Jennifer continued to cover for their son in light of disturbing revelations, along with fostering an air of entitlement and permissiveness.
At the time, a number of experts predicted that charges would be brought against Chris and Roberta, but that never happened. Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, speculated that Laundrie’s parents would soon be summoned to a grand jury.
‘I would expect that to happen momentarily, see them in front of a grand jury, and then if they are not going to cooperate, they can get charged with contempt or obstruction,’ Figliuzzi told CNBC. ‘There is no parental-child privilege, and I actually thought, by now, we would see them summoned to the grand jury. We now have an indictment, it’s a federal case.’
Experts have since weighed in saying, Chris and Roberta Laundrie are unlikely to be charged, after helping the feds find their son’s remains and belongings in the natural reserve after they joined the massive manhunt.
‘The fact they may have led investigators to their son’s possessions and possibly his remains — that all undercuts the argument that they were aiding and abetting his escape. That leads me to believe they were cooperative and not the other way around,’ former federal prosecutor, Neama Rahmani told the Sun.
Brian Laundrie’s parents are democrats. Ethan Crumbley’s parents are Republicans. Both have raised killers. Take politics out of the equations and start talking to your kids about mental health. Be nosy. Be up in their business. Notice changes.
— ✌️ (@Okay_Fantastic) December 2, 2021
‘Both have raised killers’
However, the differences between the cases did not stop the online critics from drawing comparisons between the two sets of parents meaww reports.
‘Brian Laundrie’s parents refused to help law enforcement and let their son get away The Crumbley’s on the run after giving their troubled son a gun for Christmas The culture of evading justice was set when people saw Trump get away with corruption and an attempted violent coup,’ one Twitter user wrote.
Posted another, ‘Brian Laundrie’s parents are democrats. Ethan Crumbley’s parents are Republicans. Both have raised killers. Take politics out of the equations and start talking to your kids about mental health. Be nosy. Be up in their business. Notice changes.’
While another commentator remarked, ‘Ethan Crumbley’s parents really out here tryna steal away the ‘Worst Parents of the Year’ award from the Laundrie family….and doing a damn good job of it so far…’
Responded one Twitter use: ‘Brian Laundrie’s & Ethan Crumbley’s #WorstParentsAward.’ Another commenter tweeted, ‘WTF is it with PARENTS today? Brian Laundrie’s parents help him, if you can call it that – Now, these Crumbley folks FLEE and leave their kid in jail. Does ANYONE take RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING ANYMORE? SMH?’
