美国国家公共电台 NPR--密歇根州校园枪击案被告父母的庭审将恢复

Court hearing to resume for the parents of accused Michigan school shooter

Transcript¹

In Michigan, a preliminary hearing resumes for Jennifer and James Crumbley — the parents of the alleged³ shooter who is accused of killing⁴ four classmates at Oxford⁵ High School last November.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

In Michigan today, there will be a preliminary hearing for the parents of the alleged shooter who killed four classmates at Oxford High School last November. Prosecutors⁷ took the rare step of charging James and Jennifer Crumbley with involuntary manslaughter. And legal experts say the hearing is unusually complex, and the outcome could pave the way for criminalizing parenting decisions. From member station WDET in Detroit, here's Quinn Klinefelter.

(SOUNDBITE OF RATTLING⁸ CHAINS)

QUINN KLINEFELTER, BYLINE⁹: This was a scene a few weeks ago - Jennifer and James Crumbley entered a courtroom bound in chains, their wrists eventually clamped to the arms of their chairs. They face a mountain of evidence assembled against them - tens of thousands of pages of social media posts and texts - and as many as 30 potential witnesses. That includes Jennifer Crumbley's work supervisor¹⁰ Andrew Smith, who recited text messages she'd sent him the day prosecutors allege² her son Ethan took a gun to school and went on a murderous rampage.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KAREN MCDONALD: And what does it say?

ANDREW SMITH: OMG, Andy. He's going to kill himself. He must be the shooter.

MCDONALD: And then the next text.

A SMITH: I need a lawyer at substation with police.

MCDONALD: And then what else?

A SMITH: Ethan did it.

KLINEFELTER: Prosecutors claim the Crumbleys knew that their son Ethan was troubled, but they bought him a handgun for Christmas anyway. They say school officials called them in and showed them pictures he'd drawn¹¹ depicting¹² blood and violence, but they refused to take him out of class and back home. Oakland County prosecutor⁶ Karen McDonald argues that the parents had a duty to protect the community from their son.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MCDONALD: They knew he was preoccupied¹³ with violent material that they - he had access to a gun. He could use it when he wanted to. And he was disturbed. It's a parental¹⁴ duty. It goes far beyond careless. It's gross negligence¹⁵.

KLINEFELTER: Defense¹⁶ attorneys dispute whether Ethan Crumbley had easy access to a gun, but for the case to move on to a jury trial, the prosecution¹⁷ need only show it's more likely than not the defendants¹⁸ committed a crime. That often happens fairly quickly. But this case is different, and the hearing, which began two weeks ago, before being paused, could still stretch on for days.

BILL SWOR: It is unusual, but this is an unusual case with unusual facts and unusual theories.

KLINEFELTER: Bill Swor has practiced law in Michigan for decades and is the immediate¹⁹ past president of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. He says the prosecution may have solid grounds for civil action, and indeed, there have been civil lawsuits²⁰ filed against the parents and school officials, but Swor questions whether the evidence against the parents rises to the level of charging them with involuntary manslaughter.

SWOR: Being a bad parent is not a criminal act. For example, the statement they knew he was troubled - that doesn't mean that they knew he intended to harm someone.

KLINEFELTER: There are plenty of examples of prosecutors charging relatives when a child gains access to a gun and accidentally kills themselves or someone else. Kate Weisburd teaches law at George Washington University and says the prosecution's assertion that the Crumbleys knew their son could become violent makes this case unique.

KATE WEISBURD: Where do we draw the line for criminal liability, not just for parents but for all the other responsible parties who had a role to play in this case? With respect to the school, with respect to the gun store that sold them the gun - these are all entities²¹ that could, in theory, be criminally liable.

MARTINEZ: That's Quinn Klinefelter on NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF WAVCRUSH'S "SURRENDER")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

8 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

11 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

12 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

13 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

15 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

18 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

19 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

20 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

21 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。