Replay: Jennifer and James Crumbley probable cause court hearing
Jennifer and James Crumbley — the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the accused gunman in the Oxford High School shooting on Nov. 30 — are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon for a probable cause conference.
The hearing will take place at 1:15 p.m. in 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills in front of Judge Julie Nicholson.
Jennifer Crumbley, 43, and James Crumbley, 45, have been charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter.
Police said the Oxford, Mich., couple was found Dec. 4 hiding in a commercial building in Detroit after warrants were issued for their arrests. They're jailed on bond of $500,000 apiece.
Probable cause conferences typically are procedural and involve discussions between defense attorneys, prosecutors and a judge on bond and other matters.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are accused of failing to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling messages found on the boy’s desk.
The Crumbleys committed “egregious” acts, from buying a gun on Black Friday and making it available to Ethan Crumbley to resisting his removal from school when they were summoned a few hours before the shooting, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald has said.
They entered not guilty pleas to each of the four involuntary manslaughter counts against them at their arraignment.
They were captured in a commercial building that housed artwork. The Crumbleys’ attorney, Shannon Smith, had said the day before that the pair had left town earlier in the week “for their own safety” and would be returning to Oxford to face charges.
Detroit Police Chief James White has said the couple “were aided in getting into the building” and that a person who helped them may also face charges.
More: How Crumbleys got high-profile lawyers, but not their son
More: New details emerge about family at center of Oxford school shooting
Their son Ethan, 15, appeared in the same court Monday for a probable cause conference.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, has been charged with 24 counts stemming from the Oxford High School shooting, including four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism causing death.
The high school sophomore is accused of killing four people — Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17 — and injuring seven others during the rampage.
The defense team for Ethan Crumbley argued that an adult jail is not the right place for their teenage client and sought to have him moved to a juvenile facility pending the outcome of his case. But the prosecution objected, saying Ethan Crumbley is where he belongs given what took place.
Replay: Ethan Crumbley court hearing for probable cause conference
District Judge Nancy Carniak concluded that Ethan Crumbley, who has been charged as an adult, belongs in jail pending the outcome of his case.
His probable cause conference was adjourned from Monday to Jan. 7 to allow his court-appointed lawyer to review evidence including witness statements from the shooting that also left six other students and a teacher wounded.
Staff writers Tresa Baldas and Elisha Anderson and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Replay: Jennifer, James Crumbley probable cause hearing
