Jennifer Crumbley wants to live with lawyer • Shooting victim says ex was behind it • Coyote hunting drama

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Instead of a prison sentence, Jennifer Crumbley is requesting house arrest and would live in her lawyer's guest house if given this punishment, the prosecutor's office said.

Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast wrote about the request in a sentencing memo filed this week.

Keast wrote that her attorney, Shannon Smith, is requesting that Jennifer live in her guest house at her home in northern Oakland County.

"Such a proposed sentence is a slap in the face to the severity of tragedy caused by defendant’s gross negligence," Keast wrote.

James Crumbley's threats revealed 

Details about threats James Crumbley made toward Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald were made public as his sentencing date approached.

James and Jennifer Crumbley will both be sentenced Tuesday after they were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the Oxford High School shooting. During James's trial, it was learned that he was making threats from the jail, though the nature of those threats and who they were toward was not shared.

In a sentencing memo released this week, Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast wrote that the threats were toward McDonald and shared transcripts of what James said.

"Defendant has repeatedly referred to the (p)rosecutor as ‘that fu--ing stupid wh--e b--ch,’ and he has addressed his comments directly to her," according to the memo.

Other messages included threats that McDonald should be scared and is going to be taken down by James.

Man who lost leg in shooting says ex-wife was behind shooting

An Air Force veteran who lost his leg after being shot at home says he believes his ex-wife was behind the shooting.

Kevin Kessler was shot in the driveway of his Farmington home in 2022, as he was wrapping up a messy divorce with Nicole Kessler. 

The shooter, Matthew Jones, was Nicole's new boyfriend, and he had another girlfriend, Kristina Peterson, with him at the time. Both Jones and Peterson are currently in prison.

Nicole spent time behind bars for lying to a peace officer and was recently released. Though she was never formerly charged with the assault against Kevin, he thinks she had something to do with it.

"I still have my beliefs that she had something behind it," Kevin said, adding that he fears for his safety sometimes. "(Wednesday) was actually one of my first times I jumped and had to sit there for a minute because someone dropped their trashcan when I was outside, I was in the driveway."

Groups challenge coyote hunting season restrictions

Weeks after voting to shorten the coyote hunting season in Michigan, the Natural Resources Commission has been sued by two groups arguing the decision was not grounded in science.

The Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers sued the commission in two separate courts, appealing a 4-2 decision to restrict coyote hunting from April 16 to July 14.

The MUCC opposed the issue during the commission's meeting in March when it approved shortening the coyote hunting season from year-round to nine months. Its chief executive officer said the commission didn't hear or cite "any scientific literature or rationale justifying the closure."

"Meanwhile, there were hours of public testimony on the practical benefits of coyote hunting during spring, while being reinforced with cited literature," Amy Trotter said in a statement on MUCC's website.

The MUCC filed its notice in Ingham County Circuit Court while the MTPCA filed a lawsuit in Mackinac County.

Solar eclipse weather forecast

About 99% of the sun will be blocked in Southeast Michigan on April 8, which is just outside the area where a full eclipse will occur. Unfortunately, even if the timing is right and someone has set themselves up to be in the perfect spot, clear skies are still needed to experience the phenomenon.

Monday, April 8, is forecasted to be mostly cloudy with a high near 57 degrees. Unfortunately, a chance of showers is also in the mix.

The National Weather Service and weather models used by FOX 2 only have a vague idea about what's expected in terms of visibility. Predicting cloud cover is notoriously difficult as conditions can change.

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Daily Forecast

The day will be mostly dry, but some rain showers will pop up. There is also a chance for snowflakes overnight, though it won't amount to much.

What else we're watching

1. A man incarcerated at the Macomb County Jail was plotting with a woman to have her soon-to-be ex-husband killed, authorities said. Now the man and the woman are both facing charges.
2. New fishing regulations in Michigan are now in effect. Among the major changes are daily possession limits for some types of fish from certain bodies of water.
3. A woman accused of pistol whipping another woman in Hazel Park had been stalking the victim and her boyfriend with tracking devices, police allege.
4. A gray wolf was shot in the Lower Peninsula, a rare sight for that part of the state. DNA testing confirmed that the animal was a fox after the hunter thought it was a coyote.
5. A tire that detached from a vehicle on I-94 in Washtenaw County on Tuesday afternoon hit a car, killing the driver.

Baltimore Key Bridge cleanup continues amid heavy rain, wind

Rainy conditions presented additional challenges Wednesday in the clean-up of wreckage following the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse.

Two temporary channels have been created to help get more vessels in the water.

At least eight vessels can move throughout, so far.

According to Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath with the U.S. Coast Guard, preparing for a deep draft channel remains a major priority. The team with Unified Command is staged to remove the undamaged cargo off the Dali ship which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge overnight on March 26, killing six construction workers.