Jury Deliberations Resume In Case Against Oxford School Shooter's Dad

PONTIAC, MI — After five days of testimony, an Oakland County jury will decide the fate of the Oxford school shooter's father.

James Crumbley, 47, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deadly Oxford school shooting. He faces up to 15 years in prison on each charge.

The jury briefly began deliberations late Wednesday after closing arguments from prosecutors and defense lawyers.

Prosecutors argued James was the adult in the best position to stop the shooting before it happened if he had only taken the smallest steps, such as securing the handgun with a cable lock or stopping at home to check for the gun after a meeting with counselors just hours before the shooting.

Defense lawyers, on the other hand, argued James didn't know what his son was planning and had no idea his son had access to the gun.

On Wednesday, the defense called just one witness to the stand, James Crumbley's sister, who said she didn’t recall seeing or hearing anything concerning with the shooter in the months leading up to the deadly shooting.

Prosecutors called roughly a dozen people to the stand, including members of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and Oxford school officials, who detailed a meeting between school counselors and the Crumbley family just hours before the deadly shooting.

James Crumbley did not testify in the trial, telling Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews "it is my decision to remain silent."

James' wife, Jennifer Crumbley, did testify in her defense on the same manslaughter charges and said that her son never asked her for mental health treatment and nothing suggested he needed help, despite text messages prosecutors claim were alarming. She was later convicted on the charges. Her sentencing is scheduled for April 9 inside an Oakland County courtroom.

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