James and Jennifer Crumbley request for separate trials granted

Separate trials granted for parents of Oxford shooter

The court granted separate trials for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford High School mass shooter.

(FOX 2) - James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford High School shooter who are each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, have been granted separate trials Monday.

A motion was filed Monday by James Crumbley for a separate trial, court systems show. The couple had previously gone into the county's prosecution together. But, with their son's sentencing less than a month away and their own trial date in 2024 nearing, the two will now proceed on separate fronts.

The Oakland County Circuit Court posted the request was granted just before 4 p.m. today. According to the court, the trial date still stands at Jan. 23, 2024, for both defendants.

James' motion was made on Nov. 13. They also show Jennifer filed a motion to sever trial.

On Oct. 4, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear appeals from James and Jennifer Crumbley before setting their trial date for Jan. 23, 2024. They are the first parents of a mass shooter to be charged for their child's crimes.

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Previously, the parents had requested to attend their son's sentencing - a request that was denied by a judge in October.

With the motion granted, it remains to be seen if the second defendant to face trial will have an advantage,

Prosecutor: New evidence shows Crumbley parents were negligent before son's Oxford shooting

Since the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting, prosecutors have claimed James and Jennifer Crumbley were grossly negligent. They are accused of buying Ethan the gun used in the school shooting just days before.

"Understanding that this case will play out, and let's say that first person has found that guilty," Perkins said. "I think that that definitely would have a positive effect on the second person, because it's very unlikely that you're going to find a jury pool in the state of Michigan or in Southeast Michigan who would not have heard about the first trial."

But here's the thing about that situation, the judge could decide to hold the first verdict. And that way, it doesn't have an impact on the decision, in the second trial.

Perkins also says that he would expect each of these cases to last about three or four weeks. The original trial date is scheduled for January of 2024. We will see how this impacts those dates, but at last check.