Explosive texts revealed in Jennifer Crumbley's trial: 'We're on the run again'
Jurors heard explosive testimony in Jennifer Crumbley's trial Friday that contradicts the Crumbley parents' long-held claim that they were not on the run following their son's arrest in the deadly 2021 Oxford High School shooting.
Specifically, jurors just saw previously undisclosed messages from a cellphone Jennifer Crumbley purchased after the shooting. Police took Jennifer and James Crumbley's phones following the arrest of their son, who carried out the deadly shooting and has since pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to life in prison.
According to trial testimony, Jennifer Crumbley deleted messages that she had written to her boss in the middle of the night on Dec. 2, 2021 — the day before Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced involuntary manslaughter charges against the couple.
A manhunt was launched for the couple after the charges were announced, with authorities alleging the couple were fugitives.
Among the deleted messages on Jennifer Crumbley's just-purchased phone, according to witness testimony, is this one to her boss:
"We're on the run again. Helicopters. Not sure where to. I'll message you."
It was sent at 1:31 a.m.
More: Messages show Crumbley parents rode horses while son texted about demons
That same night, came another message from Jennifer Crumbley to her boss: "We're F-----"
More than 24 hours later, the Crumbleys were arrested in the middle of the night in a commercial building owned by a friend in Detroit.
The deleted messages from Jennifer Crumbley's phone, which were obtained through a search warrant, corroborate the prosecution's claims that the Crumbleys were on the run from law enforcement in the days following the shooting, because, they allege, the couple knew they were responsible for the tragedy.
Jennifer Crumbley's lawyer, Shannon Smith, followed with cross-examination of former Detective Edward Wagrowski about the deleted messages. Wagrowski, who worked in computer crimes for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and now works with the Secret Service, has outlined for jurors the events that occurred in the days and hours before and after the shooting. Much of his testimony is based on cellphone and Facebook data obtained by law enforcement.
Smith has argued that the Crumbleys were not on the run, but fleeing a frightening situation and that they planned to turn themselves in on the morning after the charges were announced. Smith has argued that the Crumbleys took refuge in Detroit after the shooting because they had gotten death threats in Oakland County and their home address was on the internet.
Smith asked Wagrowski whether the Crumbleys' effort to deactivate social media accounts was because of threats, and said messages had come in that she described as “nasty.” Wagrowski testified he didn’t recall seeing threatening messages to the parents.
Smith also showed a message from the owner of the farm where the Crumbleys kept horses. The farm owner said she didn’t want people to follow or hurt Jennifer Crumbley, who responded that the couple was “out of the area for a few days in a safe place until we have a better grasp on everything.”
Wagrowski agreed that could indicate they were concerned about their safety.
Jennifer and James Crumbley, who are charged with involuntary manslaughter, are the first parents in America charged in a mass school shooting. James Crumbley goes to trial in March. Prosecutors are seeking to hold them responsible for the deaths of four students who were killed by their son on Nov. 30, 2021.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jennifer Crumbley texts revealed in trial: 'We're on the run again'
