Judge: Oxford school shooting suspect's name will not be used in my court
At the request of the prosecutor, a judge has decided that the name of the Oxford school shooting suspect will not be mentioned in her courtroom during the duration of his parents' cases.
"There is some precedence but no real legal authority for the mandatory exclusion of the shooter's name," Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews wrote in her decision Tuesday. "However, calling the shooter by name does not appear to have relevance to these proceedings, and prohibiting its use does not appear to prejudice the defense in any way."
The defendants she is referring to are Jennifer and James Crumbley, who are the first parents in the United States charged in a mass school shooting, allegedly carried out by their 15-year-old son.
Their case has sparked international attention not only because of its precedence, but because it involves a detail that prosecutors believe makes this case different from any other school shooting: It was the parents, they say, who bought their son the gun that he used to shoot up his school.
Given the intense publicity over the parents' case, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald asked the judge to keep the shooting suspect's name out of the parents' case to prevent future massacres by copycat shooters seeking glory.
"Shooters want to be famous. It’s one of the key motivators for most shooters, and it was definitely a motivator for the Oxford shooter," McDonald said in a statement. "He wanted to be famous, and he wanted to be remembered."
But McDonald has vowed to do her best to erase his memory, and to prevent any future shooter-wannabes from trying to one-up the Oxford suspect.
"Each shooter wants to be as famous, or even more famous, than the last shooter," McDonald said. "So when we repeat the Oxford shooter’s name and continuously publicize his photo, we’re contributing to future shootings. I’m not going to be a part of that."
The prosecution has portrayed the Crumbleys' son as a "disturbed," lonely, and attention-starved teenager whose life went from having only one friend before the shooting, to getting "fan mail' from all over the world after the shooting. In an effort to keep the teenager locked up in an adult jail, prosecutors disclosed to the judge the boy's jailhouse communications, including one in which he asked a jail official, "how do I get my fan mail."
In granting McDonald's request, the judge has ordered both sides not to speak the suspect's name in court, or use it in court filings.
“It’s clear from Judge Matthews’ order that she shares our concerns about the notoriety issue and takes it seriously," McDonalds said. "We should remember the victims – Hana, Madisyn, Tate and Justin, not the shooter.”
More: Experts: Are the Crumbleys criminals, or just bad parents? Tough case to prove
More: James, Jennifer Crumbley ordered to stand trial after breakdown in court
The judge on Tuesday also assigned two additional lawyers to the Crumbleys out of concern that their case could trigger a mistrial because their lawyers work for the same law firm. The judge said she was concerned that this could create a conflict of interest down the road between the spouses, so she gave them each an independent lawyer to advise them of potential conflicts.
The Crumbleys are charged with involuntary manslaughter for their alleged roles in the mass shooting. Prosecutors say the couple ignored a troubled and depressed son who needed help, but instead of getting him that help they bought him a gun and never shared that information with the school when they had the chance to.
Their son is charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of four students who were killed in the Nov. 30 massacre that also injured six students and a teacher, several who are still struggling to recover from life-altering injuries. The suspect has pleaded not guilty and is planning an insanity defense. He is due in court Thursday for a hearing, though Judge Matthews' decision does not apply in his court case.
The teenager's lawyers could not be reached for comment.
The Crumbleys have pleaded not guilty and maintain they had no way of knowing their son would carry out a school shooting, that they kept the gun safely stored in their home, and that they are not responsible for the students' deaths.
Tresa Baldas:tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Judge rules that Oxford school shooting suspect's name will not be used
