Texas mother accused of terrorism over claims she bought ammo, gear for
son planning mass violence
[May 16, 2025]
By JUAN A. LOZANO
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas mother has been charged with a terrorism-related
crime after being accused of buying her 13-year-old son ammunition and
tactical gear as he allegedly planned mass violence at his middle
school, authorities said Thursday.
The boy, who was also charged with terrorism, had shown up to the school
this week wearing a mask and tactical gear but left shortly after,
according to San Antonio police. He was later detained off campus.
In recent years, parents of children who committed school shootings
around the U.S. have been taken to court, though in this case no attack
happened. The gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety said it had not
found a similar case in which a parent was charged when violence did not
occur.
Authorities in San Antonio said the boy’s mother had previously been
contacted by police, her son’s school and Child Protective Services with
concerns about her son.
“She appeared to be dismissive and unconcerned with her son’s behavior,"
San Antonio police Chief William P. McManus said at a news conference.
“Her behavior is not only dangerous, it’s abhorrent, especially as a
parent.”
The mother has been charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism.
She is free on a $75,000 bond.
The Associated Press does not normally identify juveniles in criminal
cases and is not naming the mother to avoid identifying the 13-year-old
boy, who is being held in juvenile detention.
Joseph Appelt, the mother’s attorney, said he was unable to comment as
he had just been appointed to the case Thursday and was still learning
about it.
Michael Wynne, a Houston-based criminal defense attorney not connected
to the case, said he believes laws and prosecutions of parents over
allegations they played some sort of role in a school shooting or plans
for one “are headed in this direction … because of the tragic
consequences that can ensue if a parent continues to neglect their
responsibilities.”
“What we’ve had in place so far clearly has not worked," Wynne said. “We
have to do something else because the consequences are so tragic and so
dire.”
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San Antonio Police Chief William McManus answers questions from the
media, May 3, 2016, in San Antonio, Texas. (Bob Owen/The San Antonio
Express-News via AP, File)
Around October, Child Protective Services reported its concerns
about the boy's family to police. In January, he was found in his
school drawing violent pictures and in April he was suspended after
researching mass shootings on a school computer, McManus said. He
was allowed to return to campus earlier this month.
On Sunday, a family member saw the boy with a bullet, McManus said.
“He claimed his mother bought him the bullet and tactical gear,"
McManus said. “The next day, the family member found loaded
magazines and an improvised explosive device and immediately
contacted police.”
Police say the mother provided her son with gun magazines and
ammunition for them. McManus said “some very disturbing things” were
found inside the mother’s home, including “Nazi swastikas and things
like that."
The mother was charged under a law passed by the Texas Legislature
in 2023 that detailed a specific criminal charge of terrorism, and a
state registry for anyone convicted of a crime conducted for the
purpose of terrorizing the public.
Republican state Sen. Phil King, who authored the bill, had said it
was aimed at helping law enforcement identify suspects when
investigating threats.
Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown
for Gun Safety, said parents and gun owners have the responsibility
to prevent kids from accessing deadly weapons without supervision.
“Parental culpability cases are not one-size-fits-all, but this one
stands out for such utter disregard for warning signs that it begs
for criminal charges to be brought, even if, thankfully, a major
tragedy was avoided here,” he said in a statement.
In Michigan last year, Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first
U.S. parents held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting
committed by a child. They are serving 10-year prison terms for
involuntary manslaughter.
___
Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed
to this report.
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