James, Jennifer Crumbley seek to have their Oxford High School shooting cases thrown out
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Fox 2) - James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the accused Oxford High School shooter, want their cases thrown out.
Attorneys for the Crumbleys filed motions Monday seeking to have the Michigan Court of Appeals toss the cases. Both James and Jennifer are facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
The attorneys argue that the parents shouldn't have been charged because are not responsible for what their son Ethan Crumbley allegedly did. They also argue that the Crumbley parents did not know that their son was going to shoot up his school.
Related: Crumbley parents' request to move trial out of Oakland County denied
Four students died in the Nov. 30, 2021, school shooting.
The defense for the Crumbley parents said in the filings that "the trial court erred when it upheld the District Court’s decision to bind defendants over for trial, given that the prosecution cannot, as a matter of law, meet their burden in demonstrating Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley were the cause of the victims’ deaths."
Read more Oxford shooting updates here.
Last month, a judge ruled that Ethan's journal and text messages could be used during his parents' trials.
Judge Cheryl Matthews said the texts and writing in the journal showed that Ethan talked to his parents about his mental health, and proved that they should have been aware of his mental state.
Violent video games that Ethan played can also be presented as evidence. Matthews noted that while many young people play violent games, allowing Ethan to play them may have aggravated his violent tendencies.
The parents' trials are scheduled to begin Oct. 24.