Judge Denies James Crumbley's Request To Move Trial Out Of Oakland Co.

PONTIAC, MI — An Oakland County Judge denied James Crumbley's request to move his upcoming trial out of the county.

James Crumbley, 47, is set to go on trial March 5 for manslaughter charges in connection with the deadly Oxford school shooting. He faces up to 15 years in prison on each charge.

He will be tried in the same courtroom his wife Jennifer Crumbley was earlier this month. She was found guilty on the same charges.

Crumbley's lawyer, Mariell Lehman, argued James cannot get a fair trial in the county because most of the roughly one million adult residents in Oakland County paid attention to the trial of his wife.

"Mr. Crumbley wants, and is entitled to, a fair trial with impartial jurors who do not have personal connections to the school shooting or its victims and jurors who have not been influenced by the inflammatory media, consistent livestream coverage, numerous media articles and particularly by interviews conducted with Prosecutor McDonald that include completely inaccurate information that the public has accepted and repeated as facts of the case," Lehman argued.

• Related - Oxford Shooter's Father Wants Key Evidence Blocked From Trial: Lawyer

Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews is still reviewing whether certain evidence, which was crucial in the case against the Oxford school shooter's mother, should be blocked from the father's upcoming trial. She is also debating whether two student who were injured in the deadly shooting should testify at the trial.

The next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28.

Prosecutors are trying to prove James committed gross negligence leading up to the shooting. They claim the James ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the deadly shooting, and instead of getting him help, bought him a gun.

Jurors will only need to believe one of two theories to declare Crumbley guilty: That James failed to perform a legal duty in patenting, or that he knew his son was a danger to others and failed to take the ordinary care steps to avoid injuring others.

Defense lawyers maintain he had no idea what his son was planning. Moreover, defense lawyers argued James cannot be held accountable because he was not "directly involved" in the Oxford school shooting, and are not "responsible for the deaths of others."

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.

Ethan Crumbley, who is now 17, was sentenced to life without parole last December.