OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Scripps News Detroit) — Defense attorneys for Jennifer and James Crumbley filed motions Wednesday criticizing Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and the district judge who sent them to trial in connection to the deadly school shooting.
Their motions contain new, chilling information.
They want a 22-page journal kept by their son Ethan Crumbley excluded as evidence because they believe it would improperly sway a jury against the parents.
In it, Ethan, the accused Oxford High School shooter, wrote, “I want to hear the screams of children as I shoot them.
“Ethan also refers to President Joe Biden as “Sleepy (expletive) Joe Biden” and hoped the shooting would get the president’s attention and force him to “apologize.” Ethan wrote, “Hopefully my shooting will cause Biden to get impeached.”
James and Jennifer Crumbley’s defense attorneys argue it is not known if Ethan will testify during his parents’ trial, if he can be questioned and if his testimony would make the trial appear political to the jury because they believe his testimony would not be relevant to his parents’ case.
Both Jennifer and James Crumbley are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in response to the deaths of the four students killed and six others injured during the Nov. 30 shooting.
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)
Defense attorneys say District Judge Julie Nicholson abused her authority when she sent the parents to trial. Ruling in February, Nicholson said, the deaths could have been avoided if the parents exercised ordinary care and diligence in the care of their son.
Evidence shows the Crumbley’s bought Ethan a gun days before the shooting as a Christmas present and they ignored many warning signs before the shooting.
In the motion, defense attorneys ask Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews to order McDonald to not discuss the case outside of court because they believe it could taint the jury pool and portray the parents as responsible for the crime while elevating the elected prosecutor as, “the hero who is protecting school children,” defense attorney’s said.
In response to a request for an interview, WXYZ was given this statement from the office of McDonald that reads:
“The motions filed Wednesday do not raise any new arguments or evidence. The prosecution will respond to the motions as permitted by the court at the appropriate time. The prosecution remains very confident in its case.”
A hearing on the motions is set for June 27. The trial for the parents is set for October.
This story was originally published May 19 by WXYZ in Detroit, an E.W. Scripps Company.
