Watch replay: New testimony in Jennifer Crumbley involuntary manslaughter trial

Jennifer Crumbley returns to an Oakland County courtroom Tuesday for the fourth day of testimony in her trial on involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from her son murdering four people at Oxford High School in November 2021.

Monday's highlights included video of authorities' first interview with Jennifer and James Crumbley, who goes on trial on the same charges in March. The parents, who had been summoned to the school earlier in the day, expressed regret for leaving their son at the school. Ethan Crumbley, who has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, opened fire just two hours after meeting with his parents and counselors.

A school counselor also told jurors Monday why the school permitted the teen to stay in class after seeing his disturbing drawing on a math sheet and concerns about his mental health.

Watch replay of the livestream here.

What Jennifer Crumbley said after the shooting

Det. Sgt. Matthew Peschke with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office testified that on Nov. 30, 2021, he was sent to the shooter’s house. While Jennifer Crumbley was detained in the rear of a patrol car, Peschke said he interacted with her.

In the video, which prosecutors played in court, as she got into the patrol car, Jennifer Crumbley said: “I know my son was the one that shot the school,” but said she wasn’t sure why she was “in the back of a cop car.”

Peschke can be heard telling her that she was not in custody, but law enforcement needed to check her house for evidence. She tells them that her son has two bedrooms — his and the guest room — “because his bedroom got so out of control.”

Jennifer Crumbley said she and her husband fought with their son the night before over his grades. But she said when her husband took him to school that morning, he seemed fine and apologized.

“He was normal. There was nothing abnormal,” she said.

Jennifer Crumbley can be heard in the video saying they had gone to the school counselor’s office earlier in the day because their son had drawn “weird” images.

“And then all of a sudden there’s an active shooter,” she said. Then her husband came home and found the gun missing and called police.

The detective asked her what kind of images her son was drawing.

“Well, they’re very disturbing,” she said, “because it look at what he just (expletive) did.”

Jennifer Crumbley said she was in shock and that her son had never been in trouble or done anything wrong.

She said: “He’s a good kid.”

She can be heard saying, as she cried, “My son just ruined his life. I’ll probably never see him again.”

In the video, she can be heard saying that they have taken their son to the gun range as a hobby and had just bought the 9mm Sig Sauer.

Jennifer Crumbley said her son has never “exerted any kind of anger” and she described him as a “mellow, laid back kid.”

“I don’t get it,” she said. “I don’t get what happened.”

An empty gun case and empty ammo box at Crumbley home

Det. Adam Stoyek with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office testified that he was sent to the Crumbleys’ home in Oxford on the day of the shooting to secure the home as law enforcement sought a search warrant. When he arrived, other law enforcement were on scene and Jennifer and James Crumbley were escorted out of the house, he testified.

Inside the home, an open, empty gun case for the gun used in the school shooting and an empty box of 9mm ammunition was found on the bed in the master bedroom, the detective testified.

Defense attorney Smith asked Stoyek about James Crumbley having gone to the home “and discovered the Sig Sauer was gone from the house.”

“When I went to the house, I had no knowledge of anything that had occurred prior to me getting to the house,” Stoyek testified. “Like I said, I just observed the box where I saw it,” adding he didn’t know how it was placed there.

Law enforcement also found a gun safe on a shelf that contained two other guns. Stoyek testified that he used the code he was given by James Crumbley to open the safe and it was 0-0-0.

The prosecution also showed several photos of two bedrooms used by the shooter, cluttered rooms with items piled on the beds. On one wall hung two targets with bullet holes in them. Other photos showed BB and pellet guns and CO2 casings on the ground that Stoyek said are used to operate the BB guns.

Coworker tells of 'rough night' in Crumbley home before shooting

Amanda Holland, who used to work with Jennifer Crumbley, testified that the two didn’t socialize outside of the office, but were friendly coworkers. She said Jennifer Crumbley had at one point told her that her son’s only friend was leaving and she was concerned about her son being lonely.

The prosecution asked Jennifer Crumbley said she was concerned about anything around the house.

“Around the home the only thing that was concerning and I don’t remember when this happened, she just mentioned that he was hearing things in the house,” Holland testified, adding that the conversation happened within the year of the shooting.

Holland testified that on the day of the shooting, she had a conversation with Jennifer Crumbley about a fight the night before. “She said she had a rough night, that they had a fight,” Holland testified.

She said Jennifer Crumbley mentioned that her son “was locked out” of the house, but Holland did not know how that happened.

Boss tells of texts from Jennifer Crumbley

Real estate executive Andrew Smith, Jennifer Crumbley’s boss, testified about text messages he received from Jennifer Crumbley on the day of the shooting, starting when she was summoned to her son’s school.

“I have to go to my kids school,” Jennifer Crumbley texted her boss at 10:15 a.m. that day. “Counselor just called and this is what I’m dealing with. I’ll be back by 11:30-12 at the latest.” Her text included the drawing of the gun her son had made.

Smith said that about two hours later, he saw Jennifer Crumbley back at work. She told him she had to get her child counseling. Smith said she “seemed down,” and he told her he was glad she’s getting him help.

Smith said that what he knew of the shooter was that he was an avid bowler and had gone on vacations with his family, based on what Jennifer Crumbley had told him.

After the mother was back at work, Smith described hearing a loud commotion and yelling in the office around 1 p.m.

“Like yelling, screaming type noise coming from down the hall,” he said.

Smith testified he saw Jennifer Crumbley racing down the hall. “I recall her saying there was an active shooter at her child’s school and I remember saying, ‘Go, go,’” he said.

At 1:23 p.m. he received a text message from Jennifer Crumbley saying: “The gun is gone and so are the bullets.”

He said he did not know about a gun and the text alarmed him. He responded that he was “praying everything is OK.”

Smith testified that he received a phone call from Jennifer Crumbley and put it on speakerwith the HR director. “I remember vividly the sound of sirens in the background,” he said. He remembers her saying she was trying to get to the school and thinks she said something about the gun was missing. They encouraged her to call the police and he remembers her saying her husband had already called the police.

"OMG Andy. He's going to kill himself. He must be the shooter," Jennifer Crumbley texted her boss.

Then came more texts.

"I need a lawyer. substation with police."

"Ethan did it."

Smith said he did not respond right away. He then got a phone call from Jennifer Crumbley, saying she needed a lawyer.

Smith also testified about a text he received from Jennifer Crumbley at 3:39 p.m. that day:

“I need my job. Please don’t judge me for what my son did.”

In court, Smith said he was surprised she was worrying about work, and noted he didn't respond right away.

But then he sent this text: “I can’t even begin to understand what you’re going thru. I’m praying for you.”

Smith said he then asked someone at work about attorney recommendations.

Jennifer Crumbley sent another text: “They are taking my cellphone.”

School official: 'No reasonable suspicion to search the backpack'

Oxford High School Dean of Students Nicholas Ejak testified about a controversial issue that has many in the Oxford community reeling in frustration, and is a key issue in civil lawsuits facing the school: Why wasn't the shooter's backpack ever searched?

The backpack held the gun used in the shooting, and Ejak retrieved it and handed it to Ethan Crumbley during an office conference. It wasn't searched despite red flags that school officials raised about the shooter over two days before the rampage, most notably the troubling drawing he had made of a gun, a bleeding human and the words, "The Thoughts won't stop. Help me."

"There was no reasonable suspicion to search the backpack," Ejak testified.

He did note that the drawing on a math worksheet drew his attention.

“Blood everywhere. My life is useless … that’s what stood out to me,” Ejak said.

But that wasn't enough to search the backpack, Ejak said, explaining that school officials must have a reason to search student belongings, such as if a student seems nervous when officials have their belongings.

“None of that was present at that moment,” Ejak testified.

Ejak testified that he retrieved the shooter's backpack from class when the teen was summoned to report to the counselor's office over his troubling drawing.

“And did you give it to him?” Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast asked.

“Yes, I did,” Ejak said.

Keast asked if at any point anyone requested to search the backpack. Ejak said they did not.

According to Ejak, here's what happened that morning that led to keeping Ethan Crumbley in school, rather than sending him home:

The shooter was pulled from class over the troubling drawing and sent to the counselor's office, where he met with the counselor, Ejak and his parents, who were summoned to the meeting.

Ejak testified that it was his understanding that the teen would be leaving that meeting with his parents — but that didn't happen.

During that meeting, Jennifer Crumbley said neither parent could take their son home that day because they had to return to work.

"I found that odd," Ejak said, though he made no mention of the school insisting Ethan Crumbley go home.

No reason to discipline Ethan Crumbley, OK to keep him in school

Rather, Ejak said, the shooter said that he didn't want to be home by himself and that he preferred to stay in school.

So the school conceded that was the best course of action for him to stay in school.

Ejak also testified that the school had no reason to discipline the shooter over his behavior and that Ethan Crumbley had no history of disciplinary action.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Smith pressed Ejak: "You do have the authority to say, 'You do have to take your child home,'" Smith said.

Ejak said he did.

"So it was OK, in your mind, for Mrs. Crumbley's son to stay in school," Smith said.

"Yes," he answered.

Smith then grilled Ejak about a deposition he gave in September, in which he said that he did not find it strange that the parents did not take their son home, but said: "There would have been no reason for him to go home."

In his deposition, Ejak also said Jennifer Crumbley was on board with getting her son help within 48 hours.

Smith also grilled Ejak about the numerous concerns that teachers raised about the shooter, but were never shared with the parents, such as the Crumbley boy falling asleep in class, writing about being sad and appearing depressed.

"You don't have any evidence that Mrs. Crumbley received all the information about every specific situation with her son," Smith asked.

She did not, Ejak answered.

"At no point in time did you believe that he posed a threat to the school," Smith said.

"He did not pose a threat to the school," Ejak answered, adding: "There was no threat present."

Ejak testified that the shooter appeared more sad than threatening, which, he said, was common during the pandemic.

As for the shooter's altered drawing, Ejak said he did not find that concerning.

"You have a teenager who is trying not to get into trouble knowing the dean of students is involved," Ejak said. "He was trying to get himself out of trouble."

On redirect from the prosecutor, Ejak said during that meeting, Jennifer Crumbley never told him that her son had sent him texts that he was hallucinating, that she had expressed concern about her son being depressed months ago and that her son had been gifted a gun four days before the shooting.

Ejak answered no to all the questions. And if he did know about the gifted gun, he said: "It would have completely changed the situation that we followed."

The defense asked one more question:

"You did not ask the Crumbleys if they had a gun?"

"I did not ask that question," Ejak answered.

An argument over who's crying harder

Tuesday's proceedings opened with defense attorney Shannon Smith objecting to jurors seeing certain evidence that she believes is prejudicial to Jennifer Crumbley.

Among them is a video transcript that says James Crumbley was sobbing in an interview, but made no mention of Jennifer Crumbley also crying.

Smith asked that the prosecution either add that Jennifer Crumbley is also crying or delete that James Crumbley is sobbing, arguing it's not up to the prosecution to decide for the jury who is crying harder.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews agreed and said the caption saying that James Crumbley is sobbing must be removed or the video shouldn't be shown at all.

Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast argued that the jury should decide what's going on in the video, and that it shouldn't have to also note in captions that Jennifer Crumbley is crying, too.

"We know what Jennifer Crumbley sounds like when she's crying. She's been crying throughout trial," Keast said.

Matthews, though, sided with the defense on this one.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Watch replay: Testimony in Jennifer Crumbley Oxford school shooting trial