PONTIAC, Mich. (Scripps News Detroit) — A contentious court hearing is set for Tuesday morning in the criminal case of the parents of the accused Oxford high school shooter.
We’re learning much more about what’s going into their case.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are each charged with 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of the 4 students killed: Justin Shilling, Tate Myre, Hanna St. Juliana, and Madysin Baldwin.
Defense attorneys are asking the judge for a delay in the preliminary examination set for tomorrow saying they’ve gotten all the evidence “piecemeal” and don’t have enough time to prepare.
The defense says in court documents they’ve gotten 290 gigabytes of materials including 3,000 pages of materials, 70 hours of video and audio in the case including 10 hours of important interviews of witnesses who are anticipated to testify.
FILE – This undated combo of photos provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office shows James Crumbley, left, and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a teen accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School, in Michigan. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
The last evidence was handed over on January 27th.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald opposes the delay and says in court documents the defense failed to address the rights of the victims, 4 students were killed, 7 others including a teacher injured, and countless others psychologically terrorized.
For those victims, she writes, “each filing, each court date, and the statements (and even gestures) of the attorneys and the defendants all have an impact, one that is magnified by the media reporting that surrounds every event in this case.
This booking photo released by the Oakland County, Mich., Sheriff’s Office shows Ethan Crumbley, 15, who is charged as an adult with murder and terrorism for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured more at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., authorities said Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The prosecutor also says they’ve narrowed the witnesses down to no more than 30, including 5 who are coworkers of Jennifer Crumbley, 5 who were involved in search warrants at the Crumbley home, and Oxford school employees.
District Court Judge Julie Nicholson will preside over the hearing tomorrow morning at 8:30.
The evidence against the parents is they bought their 15-year-old son Ethan a handgun as a Christmas present, failed to keep it locked up, and ignored his warning signs.
Ethan Crumbley is facing his own murder and attempted murder charges in the school shooting on November 30th.
The Crumbley parents are being held on $500,000 bond each.
Ethan Crumbley is also held without bond.
All 3 are in the Oakland County Jail in separate locations and no contact with each other.
This story was originally published Feb. 7, 2022, by WXYZ in Detroit, an E.W. Scripps Company.
