Oakland County Judge Rejects Crumbley Parents Request To Limit Case Updates

OXFORD, MI — A judge rejected a request by Jennifer and James Crumbley to limit updates about their case to just the families whose children were killed in the deadly Oxford school shooting.

In their motion, lawyers for the couple argued that prosecutors are sending court updates about the couple's case to more than 1,800 people, who they claim are victims of the shooting, as opposed to just the families who are named in their case.

The defense lawyers argued the mass dissemination of information could infringe upon their right to a fair trial. They cited a specific email the prosecutor's office sent that was shared on social media, citing news articles deeming the couple as bad parents.

Prosecutors, on the other hand, argued in a response that anyone affected by the shooting constitutes as a victim and should receive the court updates "to provide timely, accurate information to answer expected questions."

Moreover, prosecutors argued claims of the couple's parenting are "demonstrably true" since the defense has yet to provide evidence about how the couple raised their son.

Oakland County Judge Cheryl A. Matthews agreed with prosecutors, saying "though the Court does not know the exact number of victims in this case, the Court agrees with the Prosecution that there are certainly far more than four."

Matthews, however, reiterated to the lawyers that sharing information to approximately 1,800 people could somehow make its way to the media, possibly hampering chances to seat a fair jury.

Matthews did issue a gag order, which prevents both the prosecution and defense attorneys from talking to the media about the case. But Matthews did not penalize the prosecutor's office for the email that was shared to social media because it was posted to the platform by a civilian and not prosecutors.

The ruling also comes as the couple asked the Michigan Supreme Court to throw out their charges in connection to the deadly Oxford school shooting, arguing the couple cannot be held responsible for the "independent acts" of their son.

Jennifer and James Crumbley were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford school shooting, in which prosecutors said the couple's son carried out the deadly attack that left four students dead and injured seven other people.

The couple's trial is expected to begin sometime in January 2023. They are both housed (along with their son) separately in the Oakland County Jail. They are each being held on a $500,000 cash bond.