As James and Jennifer Crumbley's historic trials near, here's what we know

James and Jennifer Crumbley appeared in court Wednesday — likely for the last time together — to answer some final questions for the judge as they prepare to be tried separately on historic charges stemming from their son's Oxford High School shooting rampage.

The prosecution said it expects trials for each parent to last two to three weeks, though it has not yet been decided whether the mom or the dad will be tried first. Both are charged with involuntary manslaughter for buying their son the gun he used in the 2021 deadly mass shooting at Oxford High School, and failing to notify the school about that gun when given the chance.

They are the first parents in America to be charged in a school shooting. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, murdered four fellow students and injured six other students and a teacher on Nov. 30, 2021. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him and was sentenced last week to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The first trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 23.

At a hearing Wednesday, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews wanted assurances from the Crumbleys that they are satisfied with going to trial with separate lawyers who once used to work for the same law firm, and, once represented the interests of both parents.

That's no longer the case as each parent now has their own trial and their own lawyer. The Crumbleys said they are good with the plan moving forward, and waived the right to appeal on any conflicts involving their lawyers should they be convicted.

The Crumbleys, jailed since their arrest shortly after the killings, have maintained that they are not responsible for the deaths of four students who were killed by their son.

The parents' case has triggered international headlines as the prosecutor has ventured into uncharted territory in trying to hold the Crumbleys criminally responsible for their son's school massacre. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has portrayed the couple as selfish parents who cared more about their horses, drinking booze and smoking pot than looking after their son.

Perhaps most notably, the prosecutor has argued, the Crumbleys ignored a troubled son who was spiraling and hallucinating, and instead of getting him help they bought him the gun he used in the shooting.

In pursuing that theme, the prosecution has disclosed all kinds of embarrassing and salacious details about the parents — extramarital affairs, heavy drinking, pot use, messy housekeeping — though the judge has limited what can and cannot be used against the parents at trial.

Here is what the judge concluded will not be admissible as evidence:

• The mom's alleged affairs.

• The shooter's bird-torture hobby, and photos of a bird's head that the shooter stored in a jar.

• The parents' drinking and pot use in the home.

• The family's messy house.

• The shooter's internet searches and a Nazi coin he kept.

Here is what the judge will allow the jury to hear about:

• Time and money the Crumbleys spent on horseback riding.

• Time their son spent playing violent video games.

• The shooter's Instagram account, on which he showed a picture of the gun he would later use in the shooting, writing: "Just got my new beauty today. Sig Sauer 9 mm." His mom had access to that account.

According to courtroom testimony, James Crumbley took his son on a Black Friday shopping trip in 2021 and bought him the gun the boy had been begging for.

Four days later, the Crumbleys were summoned to Oxford High School over a violent drawing their son had made of a gun, a bleeding body, and the words: "The thoughts won't stop, help me."

The parents never disclosed that they had bought their son the gun just days earlier. Rather, they returned to their jobs and promised to get their son help in the coming days. Ethan was returned to class.

Two hours later, he emerged from a bathroom and opened fire.

The Crumbleys contend that they had no way of knowing their son would shoot up his school, and they say the gun was properly secured.

The prosecution alleges the Crumbleys were "grossly negligent" in buying their troubled son a gun, and that they, more than anyone else, could have prevented the shooting had they disclosed to the school that their son had access to a gun.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: James, Jennifer Crumbley trials to run 2-3 weeks for each parent