James Crumbley Trial: Recapping day two of witness testimony

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - Day two of witness testimony during the James Crumbley trial finished on the early side Friday afternoon after the judge told the jury they had "run out of witnesses." 

Judge Cheryl Matthews also said the trial was proceeding faster than expected, and jury deliberations could begin as soon as mid-week based on the pace they were moving.  

Det. Edward Wagrowski, forensic lab specialist Robert Koteles, Cammy Beck who manages the gun store where the murder weapon was purchased, and Oxford High School Assistant Principal Kristy Gibson-Marshall took the stand, each adding new elements to the case.

Find the recap for day one of witness testimony here

"Like I am mentally and physically dying"

Wagrowski took the stand Friday morning for cross-examination after answering questions from the prosecution on Thursday.

He filled many roles throughout the Oxford shooting investigation as the detective who watched the security footage from the school and conducted an examination of the Crumbley family's cell phones, social media accounts, and emails.

Most of defense attorney Mariell Lehman's questions circled around what can and can't be known, based on the text messages sent from the Crumbley's phones, as well as videos taken by the shooter. 

"You don't know what's happening outside the frame of that photo," Lehman asked Wagrowski at one point, referring to an image of the shooter handling the SIG Sauer handgun purchased by James Crumbley.

Another video shows the shooter handling the weapon, which was sent to his friend. Lehman asked about the GPS location of James Crumbley at the time of the video, which showed him at or near the home at the time. 

Wagrowski previously testified that approximately 20,000 text messages had been exchanged between the shooter and his friend. Some of those include the shooter discussing mental health issues, including one reference to his father telling him to "suck it up" before saying he was given pills.

• I asked my dad to take me to the doctor yesterday and he just gave me some pills and told me to "Suck it up"
• Going to ask my parents to go to the doctor's tomorrow.
• But this time I am going to tell them about the voices.
• Like I am mentally and physically dying

Forensic review of the crime scene

Robert Koteles took the stand for a brief period, laying out his role in examining and processing the crime scene inside Oxford High School.

He wasn't allowed to start pouring over the evidence within the school until hours after the scene had cleared. He told the jury about the direction that bullets traveled when they were shot through the window of a classroom.

A total of 32 rounds were fired during the shooter's rampage. Eighteen other rounds were found not to have been fired.

Buying the gun

James Crumbley walked into the Oxford gun shop managed by Cammy Back on Nov. 26 with his eyes on buying a specific gun: A SIG Sauer.

Back told the court that James Crumbley was with another individual at the time, later identified as his teenage son. James had previously bought two other guns from the same store in the summer of 2021. All three of these firearms were kept at the Crumbley home. 

Back also testified about the trigger lock that was provided with the gun by the manufacturer. A photograph of it in its original packaging was found on Jennifer Crumbley's phone. 

In order for James Crumbley to buy the gun, Back said he'd need to sign a trigger lock form that acknowledged it came with the firearm. An ATF firearm safety pamphlet was also provided with the purchase.

Lehman attempted to get insight into the specific laws of possessing a firearm with a minor nearby. Back wasn't the appropriate witness to question, the prosecution argued, adding that an FBI agent with knowledge of the law would be on the stand at a later time.

Interviewing the Crumbleys

The officer who was first to interview both the shooter and his parents took the stand next. 

Det. Joe Brian is a member of the special investigative unit at the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. He was called to Oxford during the shooting before being summoned to the substation. It was at that office he called James Crumbley and asked him to come to the station for an interview.

Video of the interview between James, Jennifer and Brian was played for the jury.

It showed the first reactions from each parent as they learn for the first time the extent of the shooting and their son's involvement. While Jennifer Crumbley spent much of the interview on the her phone and was first to suggest getting a lawyer, James expressed more emotion. 

He broke down in tears at one point. 

"Not a F-cking Drill'

The final witness for the day was Kristy Gibson-Marshall, who was the first adult to interact with the shooter. It happened in the middle of the rampage after Tate Myre was shot. 

Gibson-Marshall was also seen in the security footage reviewed by Wagrowski where she takes a few steps with the shooter. She told the court she recognized the shooter, at first not believing what she was seeing.

"It didn't seem right to me," she said. "He always seemed like a sweet kid, so I talked to him as he walked by. As he walked by, I asked him if he was okay."

She also saw a gun in his hand. When he didn't look at her, she knew he was the shooter. 

When a school security officer came to the scene, unaware of what had just transpired, she told Gibson-Marshall it had just been a drill. The assistant principal responded it was "not a F*cking drill."

The shooter had gone back into the bathroom after that, where he fatally shot Justin Shilling. He was arrested shortly after when he surrendered to police. 

James Crumbley Trial