Jennifer Crumbley trial: Jury selection slow on first day

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - On Tuesday, the mom of the Oxford High School shooter was in an Oakland County courtroom for the first day of jury selection for her trial after she was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the Nov. 30, 2011, shooting that killed four students.

Jennifer Crumbley arrived in Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews' courtroom before 9 a.m. on Tuesday. By the end of the day, dozens of potential jurors had already been dismissed, and the case was nowhere close to having a 12-person jury seated.

Matthews called the case into court at 9:05 a.m. With a bang of her gavel, she called Crumbley's case in and the first potential jurors were expected to enter the courtroom around 10 a.m., but it would be another two hours before any potential jury pool was brought in.

The trial of Jennifer Crumbley, one of the parents of the Oxford High School shooter charged with involuntary manslaughter, is expected to begin Tuesday with jury selection commencing inside an Oakland County courthouse this morning.

Jennifer, along with her husband James Crumbley, are each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. They've both been in police custody since early December 2021, when they were arrested days after their son killed four students at Oxford High School. 

Hundreds of Oakland County residents were summoned for the start of Tuesday's jury selection. The rigorous process started with a questionnaire that everyone had to fill out. Based on answers to those questions, they were then directed toward the courtroom or sent home.

At 12:12 p.m., two hours after Matthews called the case, the first jury pool walked in. A total of 50 people entered the crowded courtroom with 17 called at random to the jury box to testify.

Over the next 30 minutes, Matthews gave them direct instructions, explained reasons they may or may not be excused from jury duty, and then explained who they were looking for. She said they an't looking for people who weren't aware of the Oxford High School shooting – just trying to find the most impartial jury.

"The goal isn't to find jurors who have never heard of the incident. The goal is to find jurors who are going to be fair, impartial, who are critical thinkers," she said.

With the first pool sworn in and instructions given, the court took a lunch break.

They returned at 2:10 and the dismissal of some jurors started quickly.

Two were excluded immediately for prepaid vacations, five were excused for their stances on gun ownership, and one person was excused for connections to Oxford High School.

Matthews questioned the potential jurors on a series of hypothetical questions, including one about how a parent would be punished for something a child did.

"If your son threw a baseball through a neighbor's window, should the parent be punished based on the evidence?" she asked the potential jurors while admitting it was an oversimplification. 

The reason she asked, however, was that at the heart of the trial is where a parent's responsibility stands in that kind of case. 

At 4 p.m., Prosecutor Karen McDonald got her first chance to question the jury and asked the potential jurors if they could make a decision based on the evidence presented in court. All but one raised their hand who admitted to not understanding everything the judge was saying.

Less than 45 minutes later, court went into recess for the day. 

Court will resume Wednesday at 9 a.m., where it is expected that McDonald will continue her questions and defense attorney Shannon Smith will get her chance as well.

Jury selection

A total of 12 jurors will be selected, along with five alternates will be selected for Jennifer Crumbley's trial. 

About 340 people were selected for the pool.

The courtroom will seat 50 potential jurors at a time, who will then be questioned by the judge as well as attorneys from the prosecution and defense. 

A court staff attorney said it could be a very unpredictable process. 

After being questioned by the judge, the defense and prosecution each get a chance to question the jurors individually and will each get a certain number of peremptory strikes. Once those strikes have been exhausted and both the prosecution and defense are happy with the 12-person jury (plus the 5 alternates), Matthews will determine when the case will start opening statements. It could be the same day.

More coverage

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• '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. 

Preliminary hearing goes to trial

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 from the Crumbleys and the January court date was set.

More details were unearthed during the preliminary exam. Check them out here

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. 

Will shooter testify?

The teen shooter appealed his sentence he learned of last December. 

According to court records, he was among the witnesses listed for one of the trials. Information from him will also be sought for the case, the letter from his attorneys said. 

His attorneys plan to advise him against testifying and ask him to invoke his right to remain silent.