Crumbley trial update: Unknown which parent goes on trial first for Oxford High School shooting
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - In 2024, we may get a bit more closure related to the tragic shooting at Oxford High School in November 2021 as the parents of the shooter are expected to go on trial for manslaughter in connection to the shooting.
James and Jennifer are both expected to go on trial in 2024 after several years of appeals and motion hearings. The most recent one was the ruling by the court to grant separate trials.
The Crumbley parents were due to go on trial together on Jan. 23, 2024. However, last fall, the two requested to have their trials severed, which was granted by Judge Cheryl Mathews. With that decision, James and Jennifer Crumbley have gone from a united front to everyone for themselves.
But who will go on trial is still not known.
The January 23 date is still set for one of the Crumbley parents, but Judge Mathews has not yet determined which defendant that will be, according to FOX 2's legal expert Charlie Langton.
According to Langton, the decision would need to be made in the first week of January, to allow the defense and prosecution ample time to prepare.
According to the Oakland County Court's website, James currently has a trial date set for Jan. 23 while Jennifer does not yet have a court date set.
The Crumbley parents are both charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. They were arrested in early December 2021 when they were found in the basement of an art studio in Detroit after a chaotic week where they were believed to have gone on the run from charges.
The shooter admitted to the shooting in October 2022, when he pleaded guilty to murdering Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17.
- Madisyn Baldwin's mom to Oxford shooter: ‘The suffering will come when he least expects it’
- Tate Myre's family speak during Oxford shooter's sentencing; 'My baby boy'
- 'Biggest coward in Michigan history': Justin Shilling's father wishes pain upon Oxford High School shooter
- Justin Shilling would have been Oxford shooter's friend if he had only asked, his mom says
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced charges against the Crumbley parents on Dec. 3, 2021, four days after the shooting.
Over the past two years, evidence has come out during their court hearings and during the shooter's hearings as well that show that James bought the gun used in the shooting days before the shooting.
RELATED: "Ethan don't do it": Parents of Oxford High School suspect sent messages during shooting.
Additionally, after their son was charged, McDonald said they drained their son's bank account and withdrew $2,000 from their account as well.
During the preliminary hearings, it was revealed that Jennifer ignored texts from her son about ‘demons’ he claimed to face.
Over the past 25 months, the Crumbley parents had largely argued together through court battles as they appealed charges all the way to the state supreme court. Last October, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear appeals the Crumbleys and the January court date was set.
Five weeks after that ruling, the parents severed their cases.
They are the first parents of a mass shooter to be charged for their child's crimes.
Their son was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on Dec. 8, 2023, after a full day of witness impact statements.