Prosecution doubles down on James Crumbley, adds Oxford High students to witness list

The prosecution appears to be upping the ante for its second case against the parents of the Oxford High School shooter, as it has added three students to its witness list to testify against James Crumbley, according to a new court filing.

The students include two teenagers who were shot and injured during the 2021 rampage, and later gave impact statements at the shooter's sentencing hearing in December, when Ethan Crumbley was ordered to serve life without parole.

No students testified at the mother's trial, which ended in unprecedented guilty verdicts this week for Jennifer Crumbley on four counts of involuntary manslaughter — one for each student murdered by her son. Six students and a teacher also were wounded in the attack.

More: Jennifer Crumbley guilty verdict in Oxford case will be roadmap for similar prosecution

Prosecutors, who allege the parents ignored their son's obvious mental health issues and bought him a handgun instead, want to hold both parents accountable for the deaths of Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Justin Shilling, 17.

Why the defense says Oxford students shouldn't be allowed to testify

James Crumbley's lawyer has asked a judge to prohibit the student witnesses from testifying, arguing their testimony "would only serve to enflame the emotions of the jury."

Moreover, defense attorney Mariell Lehman argues in her filing, the father's case isn't about what happened inside the school that day, but about what he allegedly did or didn't do before the shooting happened. She stressed that James Crumbley does not contest that children died that day, and that "the events of Nov. 30, 2021, undeniably changed peoples' lives in ways most people could never imagine."

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While the prosecution has added the students to its 12-page witness list, it is not certain that the students would be called as witnesses.

Here is some of what concerns her:

At the gunman's sentencing hearing, one of the students, who was close friends with Tate Myre, recalled what happened after she was shot: "She described the feeling of being shot, the feeling of blood around her face, and bleeding, and realizing that Hana St. Juliana was next to her."

Hana was killed in the shooting.

The other student who may testify for the prosecution was shot in the neck. At the gunman's sentencing hearing, she described living in "constant fear," since the shooting, and how she will never be the same person again.

At Jennifer Crumbley's trial, only four school witnesses testified: a teacher who was shot by her son; an assistant principal who encountered the gunman during the rampage, and tried to save the life of Tate; a school counselor who summoned the parents for a meeting over a troubling drawing their son had made on the morning of the shooting, and who had received multiple red flags from teachers expressing concerns about the shooter in the days and months before the massacre, and the dean of students, who concluded the shooter was not a threat to the school and let him return to class after meeting with his parents over the troubling drawing that included a gun, and the words, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me."

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: James Crumbley wants students banned from testifying in Oxford case