Jennifer Crumbley's attorney compares Oxford shooting charges to Taylor Swift song
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Fox 2) - Jennifer Crumbley's attorney compared the charges against her client to a line from a Taylor Swift song as her trial started Thursday.
During opening statements Thursday morning, attorney Shannon Smith said she blasted Taylor Swift on her way to court and found that a line from the song "Bad Blood" summarized the case.
"Band-Aids don't stop bullet holes (sic), and that's what this case is about. The prosecution is attempting to put a Band-Aid on problems that can't be fixed with a Band-Aid," Smith said.
Jennifer Crumbley trial: Prosecutor says negligence led to Oxford High School shooting, not bad parenting
Jennifer Crumbley's trial for the Oxford High School shooting started Thursday with opening statements from Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. She's on trial for four cases of involuntary manslaughter.
Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the Oxford High School shooting committed by her son. Her husband, James, is also charged.
Smith says that all the reasons for charging Crumbley will not solve any problems.
"The prosecution has charged Jennifer Crumley with involuntary manslaughter in an effort to make the community feel better, in an effort to make people feel like someone is being held responsible, in an effort to send a message to gun owners, and none of those problems will be solved by charging Jennifer Crumbley with involuntary manslaughter," she said.
Smith asserts that the charges against Crumbley won't change what happened at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.
"It's the same effect as when your child comes to you with a boo-boo, and you give them a Band-Aid that they put on that doesn't take away the pain and can't undo what's happened to them," Smith said. "And in this case, a Band-Aid will never bring back the lives that were lost by Hana, Justin, Tate and Madisyn Baldwin."
Crumbley's son was sentenced to life without parole for killing Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling, Hana St. Juliana, and Tate Myre.
The Crumbley parents are the first parents of a mass shooter to be charged for their child's crimes. They are accused of ignoring their son's mental health and providing him with the gun used in the murders.
"Jennifer Crumbley didn't pull the trigger that day, but she is responsible for those deaths," Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast said during his opening statement. "These kids were gunned down inside Oxford High School with this gun. It's a SIG Sauer, 9 mm handgun, purchased four days before the shooting by James Crumbley, Jennifer's husband and father of the school shooter."