Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley's parents ask to attend son's sentencing

The parents of the Oxford school shooter are asking a judge to let them attend their son's sentencing in December, stressing that they want to be present during this crucial moment of his case, when the teenager may get life without the possibility of parole.

Ethan Crumbley was 15 when he killed four students and injured seven other people at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. He pleaded guilty to all charges against him.

"Clearly, this is the harshest sentence the court could give to the shooter and worries both Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley considerably," defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman wrote in a Thursday filing on behalf of James and Jennifer Crumbley. "Understandably, this hearing is of paramount importance, and would be to any parent, no matter what their child has done."

The defense lawyers also stressed:

"Mr. and Mrs. Crumbley’s concern for their son should be in no way perceived as 'selfish' or a lack of compassion and concern about what has happened to the shooter’s victims, the community, and all who have been affected by the awful tragedy."

Crumbley parents have failed in previous efforts to see son

The Crumbleys are locked up on involuntary manslaughter charges filed by Oakland County prosecutors who cite the fact that the parents bought their son the gun that he used in the massacre. Not only are the Crumbleys detained on high bonds that they can't afford — $500,000 each — they also have not been allowed to talk to or see their son for almost two years.

The couple have unsuccessfully argued for lower bond numerous times, and over the summer asked for permission to attend their son's Miller hearing — the proceeding to determine the teen's eligibility for life without parole — but the judge denied the request with no explanation.

The prosecution, however, had plenty to say about that request. In urging the judge to ban the Crumbleys from the Miller hearing, the prosecution labeled the couple as selfish parents who wanted to attend the hearing only because they learned it would include testimony "that would be unfavorable to them."

"This is (the Crumbleys') attempt to confront and/or implore their son not to disclose the full circumstances of his upbringing," Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast argued in a prior court filing.

The Crumbleys are accused of ignoring a troubled son who prosecutors say was spiraling out of control. But instead of getting him help, they bought him a gun as an early Christmas present — the same one he used days later to carry out his deadly rampage.

Emotional sentencing hearing ahead

Prosecutors also argue that the Crumbleys, more than anyone else, could have prevented the shooting had they told the school that they had bought their son a gun when they were summoned over his troubling behavior on the morning before the shooting. The parents said nothing about the gun, went back to their jobs and promised to get Ethan help in the coming days. A few hours later, he emerged from a bathroom and opened fire.

The prosecution has not yet weighed in on this latest request for the Crumbleys to attend the sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for Dec. 8. Should the judge deny that request, the Crumbleys are asking for permission to at least witness the proceeding via a live feed.

Their request comes two weeks after Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe concluded that Ethan Crumbley is eligible for a sentence of life without parole, though he could still give the teenager a sentence of fixed years at the Dec. 8 appearance. That hearing is expected to be long, emotional and traumatic, with the victims' families, surviving victims and witnesses to the shooting giving impact statements.

A gag order has prohibited both sides from publicly discussing the parents' unprecedented case as the Crumbleys are the first parents in America to be charged in a mass school shooting. The Crumbleys have long argued that they had no way of knowing their son would shoot up his school, and that they kept the gun properly stored, but the Michigan Supreme Court this month let the charges stand. A trial date has not yet been set.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Crumbleys ask to attend son's sentencing for Oxford shooting