Day 2 of jury selection in Jennifer Crumbley trial ends with 12 seated and 5 alternates

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - Jury selection in the trial of the mother of the Oxford High School shooter will resume Wednesday as court in Oakland County returns.

No jurors have been selected yet and the first jury pool didn't enter the courtroom in Pontiac until midday Tuesday. Jennifer

Judge Cheryl Matthews told the prosection and defense that Jennifer Crumbley's trial could take two to three weeks and expects to head straight into opening arguments after a jury has been selected.

FOX 2 will be updating this story throughout the day from inside the Sixth Judicial Court where Judge Matthews is overseeing the case. 

*Refresh this story for the latest updates*

8:55 a.m. - Jennifer Crumbley walks in

Two jurors were dismissed at the beginning of the day Wednesday, one because they were sick and another because of an apparent language barrier.

9:40 a.m. - Jury pool walks in.

Another juror was dismissed for cause after a scheduling conflict. The person that replaced them was also dismissed over their concerns about trusting the testimony of police. 

10:12 a.m. - Defense begins cross-examination

Attorney Shannon Smith's questions toward jurors swirled around their opinions of hunting, guns, and their family's feelings toward firearms. 

During questioning, one juror thanked the judge for telling the courtroom "we don't know" regarding this specific case. She previously said she didn't know if she could be fair in a case about mass shootings, but amended her thoughts after the first day of jury selection. 

One juror told the defense they had absorbed a lot of news reports about the case and his mind had already been made up about the shooter's parents. He agreed with the defense that it would be tough to separate his feelings from the case itself. 

"I just don't want to do anything wrong," he said. 

10:54 a.m. - Mental health comes up

The theme of mental health came up during discussions between the defense and the jurors when asking about what's appropriate for parents when monitoring their kids. 

It started when the defense asked if jurors would be comfortable with their teenage child being left at home. 

One juror didn't believe in "hovering" over kids to parent them, but escalating care when needed. 

11:12 a.m. - Defense finishes cross-examination

The prosecution didn't request any dismissals. The defense did ask for two jurors to be dismissed with cause. 

The judge agreed with the first request and dismissed them with cause, but the prosecution objected to the other. Judge declined to dismiss the other juror for cause. 

11:20 a.m. - Judge orders 20-minute break

11:48 a.m. - Jury returns with peremeptory challenges next

Right off the bat, the new juror expressed a conflict of interest as they are related to one of the victims of the Oxford High School shooting.  

Prosecution was the first party to excuse a juror. They were replaced by someone with few opinions about guns. They also work in sales. They also don't consume a lot of media and use social media to keep up with family members. 

12:12 p.m. - Defense excuses first juror 

The defense has excused two jurors. One was a parent and public school teacher and the other had said she had issues with children using weapons in any capacity. 

Prosecution dismissed their second juror. They were replaced by someone who had negative feelings toward guns, who was excused soon afterwards. 

The juror who replaced them noted in their questionnaire they didn't believe parents should be held responsible for the children's actions, which the judge sought more insight into. 

12:36 p.m. - Judge calls lunch

1:55 p.m. - Jury returns for more selection

A newly-selected juror was questioned in the same way other jurors were, and had little to say about firearms and police. He's an auto engineer at Stellantis. 

The defense used their third strike, asking a juror to be excused. The juror who filled in the seat was asked about her parenting techniques, another theme that's expected to come up during the trial. 

2:38 p.m. - Jury officially selected

Day 2: What to expect 

Jury selection ended Tuesday with cross-examination by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. 

The judge had excluded eight jurors for varying reasons before settling on 17 people in the jury pool.

Defense Attorney Shannon Smith is expected to question jurors Wednesday. 

Judge Matthews said she hoped to have a jury picked out by the end of the day Wednesday, but wouldn't be surprised if it stretched into Thursday. 

Find a recap of jury selection on day one here.

Guns dominate first day of jury selection

More than once, questions for jurors about their background and feelings about elements of the case landed on firearms and people's feelings about them. While some were gun owners themselves, many others felt strongly against them. 

Owning weapons, using them for personal protection, and how one comes to possessing a gun were all themes that people sitting in the jury box discussed. Some said their feelings would make it hard to be fair and impartial during the case.

Four people were excluded from the pool based on their answers. 

Another person was excluded based on their ties to the Oxford High School shooter, while two others were excused for scheduling conflicts.

A trial with media coverage

The Oxford High School shooting has dominated stretches of the news ever since it happened in late 2021. 

The latest high-profile court proceeding was the shooter's sentencing. The teen pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism before being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. 

As is the case with other trials, the judge cautioned people selected for the jury pool against including what they've read about the incident when considering their thoughts on Crumbley's innocence.

"You've heard lots of things about the shooting, but very little about this case," Judge Matthews said late Tuesday. 

Jury selection

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

About 340 people were selected for the pool. They'll go through a rigorous selection process that includes a questionnaire each will fill out first. 

Based on their answers, they'll either be directed toward the courtroom or their day will be done after being automatically excluded. 

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.