Crumbley Parents' Trial Temporarily Halted By MI Supreme Court

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — The Michigan Supreme Court temporarily halted James and Jennifer Crumbley's January trial on Tuesday to allow an appeals court to hear defense arguments that there is no probable cause to try the couple on involuntary manslaughter charges, according to multiple reports.

Defense lawyers have long argued the couple cannot be held criminally responsible for the deaths of four students killed by their son in the deadly Oxford school shooting.

Prosecutors, on the other hand, disagreed and convinced the Michigan Court of Appeals that the charges were warranted and legally proper. Oakland County prosecutors 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.

Now the Michigan Supreme Court is asking the Court of Appeals to determine whether the evidence is strong enough to send the parents to trial. In other words, the high court wants an opinion from the lower court.

Jennifer and James Crumbley were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford school shooting. The couple was placed separately in Oakland County Jail, each with a $500,000 bond. They were denied a bond reduction numerous times. Their trial is expected to start on Jan. 17, 2023.

The couple's son, Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty to killing four students and wounding seven other people when he walked out of the boy's bathroom and began firing inside Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. He was placed in the Oakland County Jail while he waits for a sentencing date.