Prosecutors Blast Crumbley Parents, Reject Moving Trial From Oakland County

OXFORD, MI — Oakland County prosecutors want to keep Jennifer and James Crumbley's trial in Oakland County after lawyers for the couple asked a judge to move the trial outside the county and block certain evidence.

Prosecutors also said the couple is only "concerned only about themselves" and "cared more about their horses than keeping the community safe from their son," court documents from the Oakland County prosecutor's office said.

"From the moment I learned about the Oxford shooting, my focus and attention has been on holding those responsible accountable, and on advocating for our victims," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. "We intend to prove the allegations we’ve made against the shooter’s parents beyond a reasonable doubt at trial."

The prosecutor's Thursday court filings were in response to the couple arguing they would not receive a fair trial in Oakland County, because the community was traumatized by the deadly Oxford school shooting on Nov. 30, when authorities accused the couple's son, then 15, of opening fire in the school, killing four students and wounding seven other people.

Defense lawyers for the couple also accused prosecutors of talking badly about the couple, portraying them as "bad parents" by encouraging the community to accept "widely believed" facts, even though there's no evidence to support them.

McDonald shot back, arguing the public and victims have a right to know the truth.

"They fail to recognize that they are not the only ones with rights," McDonald argued in court documents. "Yes, defendants have important rights. But so do the victims and the public. The public has a right to know what happened and try to prevent future shootings."

Although defense attorneys argued that they want specific evidence thrown out of trial, such as the couple's horse riding hobby, their affairs and drug and alcohol abuse, McDonald argued the evidence is imperative in showcasing the couple's gross negligence of their son in the days and months leading up to the deadly shooting.

Defense lawyers for the couple think other evidence against their son should be thrown out of trial as well, such as the Nazi coin he kept in his room. But McDonald argued in the court filing, "the coin and other tell-tale signs would have alerted an ordinary person that he was disturbed."

Defense lawyers also want to prohibit other evidence, such as their son's journal, which prosecutors said showed his intentions to shoot up the school and his parents ignoring his desperate pleas for help.

"The defendants' motion is consistent with the conduct that brings them before the court — they are only concerned about themselves," McDonald said. "The rights of the public, the prosecution and victims are inconvenient for the defendant. The truth is also inconvenient: the truth will not set the defendants free."

Jennifer and James Crumbley were each charged with four counts of manslaughter after authorities said their son shot up Oxford High School on Nov. 30, killing four students and wounding seven other people.

The couple is each held on a $500,000 bond and were denied twice by an Oakland County Judge to reduce the bond to $100,000. Their trial is expected to start in October 2022.

The couple's son, Ethan Crumbley, 16, was charged with 24 counts, including four counts of premeditated murder and terrorism in connection to the shooting. He pleaded insanity and will go straight to trial, which is expected to start in September 2022.

All three Crumbleys are housed separately in the Oakland County Jail.