Will the parents of Thomas Crooks be held accountable for the crimes of their son? Should they?
As investigations try to piece together the life of the person who tried to kill former President Donald Trump, some are wondering what the young man’s parents knew. According to experts, it is unlikely that they will face any charges stemming from their son’s attempt on Trump’s life unless it can be proven that they helped him.
“You’d have to prove in some way beyond a reasonable doubt that [Crooks’ parents] aided and abetted his ability to plan this attempted assassination or, in some way, knew what he was doing and provided him some means to do it. That would be difficult to prove, I would think, beyond a reasonable doubt,” Pennsylvania-based attorney Matthew Mangino explained to Fox News Digital. Even attempting to pursue civil charges against the parents would necessitate “a preponderance of the evidence that … they could have or should have intervened to protect, not only the former president but the public.”
Interestingly, a source told Fox News that Crooks researched the case of school shooter Ethan Crumbley at some point before the Butler rally. Crumbley and his parents were charged with crimes related to his school shooting at Oxford High School. Both parents were charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and were later convicted. While some believe this would set the stage for the parents of other shooters to be charged, Crooks was a legal adult at the time of his crimes.
While too young to purchase the AR-15-style rifle used in the attempted assassination, the FBI revealed Crooks was able to acquire it when his father – who legally owned the firearm – transferred ownership to the young man. Special agent in charge at the FBI Pittsburgh field office Kevin Rojek also noted that Crooks had bought 25 additional firearms and six chemical precursors “of materials used to create the explosive devices recovered in the subject’s vehicle and home” following his death.
Despite this behavior being seen as bizarre in hindsight, at the time Crooks’ parents chalked it up to his love of science experiments
Brian Stewart, a trial attorney at the firm Parker & McConkie in Utah says that “no one” should be required to maintain constant supervision over another adult “at all times.”
“Based on the updated information the FBI has provided, it appears unlikely that Crooks’ parents will face criminal or civil liability for their son’s actions,” Stewart continued, adding that if “any proof is found that the parents were in any way aware of the son’s plans to assassinate Trump, or if the parents were reckless in ignoring any alarming behavior or activities, a case against the parents could be made, and its success would obviously depend on the strength of the evidence.”
“If the ongoing investigation were to reveal that Crooks’ father transferred the AR-15 to his son illegally or had some reason to expect it would be used to commit a crime, then criminal charges or civil claims could be possible,” the lawyer noted. “However, so far, the FBI reports that they have not found any information tying anyone else to the attack and do not believe that his parents had any indications of his plans to attempt to assassinate Trump.”
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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