Jennifer Crumbley's Reaction 'Atypical' After Oxford School Shooting, Detective Says

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — During testimony at Jennifer Crumbley's trial on Monday, an Oakland County investigator described her reaction as "atypical" when he told her that her son was the shooter who killed four students at Oxford High School.

Prosecutors played a video that showed two Oakland County detectives interviewing Jennifer and James Crumbley just hours after the deadly shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.

The video showed Jennifer Crumbley initially hesitant to talk to investigators, but James Crumbley then said, "I think we can speak to the cops."

James told investigators that he kept a gun hidden in a cabinet, with bullets hidden in a different spot inside the family's Oxford home.

"After I saw the cops (outside a Meijer on the day of the shooting), after I found out there was an active shooter, after what went on this morning, I immediately raced home," James said.

When investigators told the couple that their son committed the shooting, James was seen crying and wiping his eyes with his head down, while Jennifer didn't visibly react, as she sat in a chair scrolling through her phone with her legs crossed.

Moments later in the video, you can hear Jennifer say, "He’s never done anything bad."

Jennifer then showed investigators the texts she shared with her son earlier in the day, saying she had told her son that she and James were always there for him to talk.

Jennifer's lawyer, Shannon Smith, objected to the detective's testimony, arguing he didn't know her well enough to judge her reaction.

After speaking with investigators for roughly 10 minutes, the couple went to see their son in a separate interview room. The couple sat roughly five feet from him for less than a minute, and did not touch or speak to him.

Their son, Ethan Crumbley, appeared to have said "please take care of Dexter," referring to his cat, and "I did it."

James Crumbley then said, "I don’t think we need to ask him any questions right now."

As they got up to leave Ethan's interview room, Jennifer looked at him and said, "Why? Why?"

James then called out "I love you" four times to his son, as the couple walked back to their interview room crying.

"He didn’t even, like, care," Jennifer Crumbley said during the video. "What the f—k."

The couple then asked for an attorney and refused to speak any further with investigators.

Prosecutors are trying to prove the couple committed gross negligence leading up to the shooting. They claim 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, however, maintains that they had no idea what their son was planning. Moreover, defense lawyers argued the couple cannot be held accountable because they were not "directly involved" in the Oxford school shooting, and are not "responsible for the deaths of others."

The couple were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deadly Oxford school shooting. They are being held in the Oakland County Jail on $500,000 bond each.

Their son was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December for the deadly shooting. He has since appealed his life sentence and will not testify during his parents' trials.

James' trial will start on March 5, according to court documents.

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.