Ethan Crumbley Lawyers Appeal Life Sentence, Don’t Want Him To Testify At Parents’ Trials

PONTIAC, MI — New lawyers for Oxford school shooter, Ethan Crumbley, appealed his life without sentence and don't want him testifying in his parents' trials, according to court documents.

Ethan Crumbley is currently on the witness list for "at least one" of his parents' trials, as defense lawyers for Jennifer and James Crumbley have indicted they plan to call Ethan as a witness.

The lawyers also wrote they plan to block any confidential information about Ethan, such as communications he had with forensic experts, or any documents or reports involving any medical treatment from being used as evidence in his parents' trial, according to the documents.

"Given Ethan Crumbley's ongoing appeal and the substantial overlap in the subject matter in these three cases, we will advise Ethan to invoke his right to remain silent, should he be called to testify in either pending trial," defense lawyers wrote.

Ethan's mental health is likely to play a huge role in each of the parents' trials, as prosecutors have long argued the couple ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the deadly shooting, and instead of getting him help, they bought him a gun.

The couple's lawyers, however, maintain the parents did not know what their son was planning and said the gun that was used in the shooting was safely stored in the house.

Ethan Crumbley, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December for the deadly shooting.

The four students killed in the shooting were 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.

Jennifer Crumbley's trial started Tuesday with jury selection, and James' trial will start on March 5. Each trial is expected to last roughly three weeks. Each parent was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting. They are being held in the Oakland County Jail on $500,000 bond each.

They are the first set of parents to be charged in connection with a deadly school shooting, but not the first to be held accountable after their child committed a mass shooting.

Last year, a mother was sentenced to 21 months in prison after a 6-year-old Virginia boy shot his teacher using his mother’s gun.

Earlier this year, am Illinois man pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct after he helped his son obtain a gun that he later used to kill seven people. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail last November. Another Illinois father was sentenced to 18 months in prison after he illegally returned several guns to his son, who later used one of the weapons to kill four people at a Nashville Waffle House.