Day 2 recap: Messages show Crumbley parents rode horses while son texted about demons

Jennifer Crumbley's trial on involuntary manslaughter charges, the first like it in U.S. history seeking to hold a parent accountable for a school shooting, resumes at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Day One showed the high stakes and tension of the case, with lawyers shouting at times, and the defendant breaking down in tears when she saw, for the first time, video of her son's rampage at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to murdering four students and injuring seven other people, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Now, his parents, jailed since three days after the shooting face their own trials, with James Crumbley set for trial March 5 on the same charges as his wife.

Watch the livestream of courtroom proceedings from Pontiac here.

'Gonna get drunk and ride my horse'

The prosecution showed jurors its potentially most damning evidence against Jennifer Crumbley and her husband: text messages from their son in distress, and them not responding — sometimes because they were busy riding their horses.

This is a central theme in the prosecution’s case: that the Crumbleys ignored a son who they knew was in distress and spiraling downward, never got him help, and paid more attention to their personal lives instead, particularly their horses, which jurors heard a lot about on Friday.

They saw photos of the Crumbleys posing and smiling on their horses, taken at the same time their son was texting them that he was hallucinating and seeing demons throw bowls in the house.

For example, here's what the shooter texted his parents on March 17, 2021, St. Patrick's Day, nine months before the shooting:

• "Ok the house is now haunted" the shooter texted at 6:03 p.m.

• "Some wierd s*** just happens and now I’m scared"

• "I got some videos."

• "And a picture of the demon ... It is throwing BOWLS"

• "I am not joking it f***** up the kitchen"

• "I’m just going to be outside for a while"

• 6:29 p.m.: "Can you at least text back"

The mother did not respond until two days later.

Cellphone images taken from Jennifer Crumbley's phone showed that at the exact time her son started texting her, she and her husband were at the horse barn, smiling with their horses. Jurors saw these photos, along with a text message from that same day that the defense tried to keep out of trial, but Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews let it in.

It was Jennifer Crumbley telling her husband: "Gonna get drunk, want to ride my horse."

Defense attorney Shannon Smith objected to that message being shown, noting the judge had previously ruled that the Crumbleys' alcohol use would not be admitted as evidence at trial as it was irrelevant and potentially inflammatory.

But over Smith's objection, Matthews allowed this message in because, she concluded,  it was relevant to what was going on: the boy was in distress, and the parents weren't responding.

Under questioning by the defense, Wagrowski testified that he doesn’t know whether Jennifer Crumbley ever saw the text messages her son sent to a friend concerning his need for help.

In earlier testimony, Wagrowski said he had learned Ethan Crumbley had only had one friend, who had been abruptly taken out of Michigan about a month before the shooting. Wagrowski testified to finding more than 20,000 messages between the two.

In 2021, Ethan Crumbley texted his friend that he had “actually asked my dad to take me to the doctor yesterday but he just gave me some pills and told me to suck it up,” that his “mom laughed” when he asked he said he needed to go to a doctor, that he was having insomnia and paranoia and that he was thinking about calling 9-1-1 so he could go to the hospital.

“I need help,” he texted his friend at one point.

Ethan Crumbley also texted his friend that he was going to ask his parents again to take him to the doctor and would tell them “about the voices” and “like I am mentally and physically dying.”

Defense attorney Smith told Wagrowski, “You have no idea of Mrs. Crumbley saw the texts between the shooter and his friend.” He said that was correct and also testified he was not aware of communications between Ethan Crumbley and his mother about needing help.

Smith also presented messages sent after the shooting between Jennifer Crumbley and the owner of the farm where the parents kept their horses.

“I’m bawling right now,” Jennifer Crumbley wrote. “My son ruined so many lives today.”

She also told the farm owner that she needed to sell her horses and, of her son, wrote: “I wish we had warnings … Something ... He’s a good kid" but "made a terrible decision.”

The farm owner responded: “There probably were warnings but nobody saw them. Hindsight is always 20/20,” telling her that others at the barn were concerned and it would be best if she didn’t come by or, if she did, “you must be escorted by the police.”

In a subsequent message shown by the defense, Jennifer Crumbley said “those horses are the only thing that is good in my life right now.” The owner said she understood, “but we all need to be careful.”

More texts among Crumbley family members

Jurors also saw these texts from the shooter to his mom:

March 9, 2021, 7:50 p.m.:

• "Can you get home now?"

• "There’s someone in the house I think"

• "Someone walked into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and left the light on"

• "And I thought it was you but when I came out there was no one home"

• "There's no one in the house tho"

• "Dude my door just slammed"

• "Maybe it’s just my paranoia"

• "But when are you going to get home"

Jennifer Crumbley did not respond. She was horseback riding at the time, according to time-stamped photos that were shown to the jury.

March 19, 2021, Jennifer Crumbley to James Crumbley, starting at 9:37 a.m.:

• You awake?  ... Ethan awake?"

• James: "Um yeah"

• Jennifer: "How is he?"

• James: "He woke up looking like he had WAY too much to drink last night complaining about a headache"

• Jennifer: "Well he was really worked up and out of control so I can see why."

• James, 10:17 a.m.: "He said let me ask you a question. Why am I in your guys' room lol"

• Jennifer: "OMG"

• James: "I totally thought you were giving him a Xanax last night"

• Jennifer: "Does he seem better? No melatonin"

• James: "I know"

• Jennifer: "But he hasn't had one before. Should only give him half"

• James: "He is just doing his school. Says his head hurts. He took so Tylenol"

• Jennifer: "Is he ok to work?"

• James: "Yeah"

• Jennifer: "Does he remember what he did?"

• James: "Dude I am working. On a demo right now. I have not talked to him and he is doing school"

March 20, 2021, Shooter to mom:

• "I cleaned until the clothes started flying off the shelf

• "This stuff only happens when I’m home alone

Jurors also saw text and instant message exchanges between the Crumbley family in the days before the shooting, when their son was caught researching bullets in class.

Jennifer Crumbley had texted her son after receiving a call from the school about the incident.

• "Seriously?? Looking up bullets in school?" she texted.

• Shooter: "What? ... Oh yeah. I already went to the office for that ... completely harmless ... teachers just have no privacy"

• "This is nothing I should get in trouble about"

• Jennifer Crumbley:  "You're not ... Did you at least show them a pic of your new gun?"

• Shooter: "NO I didn't show them the pic my god"

• Jennifer Crumbley:  "lol I'm.not mad. you have to learn not.to.get caught"

New text messages, never previously disclosed, were also shown in court Friday between Jennifer Crumbley and the mother of her son's only friend. The text exchange occurred on Oct. 31, 2021, less than a month before the shooting.

The shooter's friend had moved away  due to mental health reasons, according to prior court testimony — though jurors would only hear that he was removed from the state.

Jennifer Crumbley texted the boy's mother at 9 a.m.: "James filled me in on ethan’s friend’s last night. I’m so sorry you guys are having to make such a hard decision. Please let me know if I can do anything … been thinking of you a whole lot”

The friend's mother responded four days later: "Hi jen, we are doing okay, it was the hardest thing I had to do ... I miss him terribly. He was only happy with you guys."

Jennifer Crumbley: "I know Ethan misses him. If you guys need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask."

Timeline on the day of the shooting

Prosecutors presented evidence capturing a timeline of events on the morning of the shooting, Nov. 30, 2021.

This, prosecutors have argued, is when the Crumbleys — more than anyone else — could have prevented the massacre had they taken "small" steps after being summoned to the school over their son's troubling drawing of a gun, and the words, "The thoughts won't stop, Help me."

Here is what the jury saw and heard in court:

• 10:41 a.m. — The Crumbleys were greeted by a counselor at Oxford High School, where they met their son and school officials.

• 10:52 a.m. — Video shows their son walking out of a school office carrying his backpack. The parents left about a minute later, Wagrowski said.

• Shortly after the meeting, Jennifer Crumbley exchanged messages with the owner of the farm where the Crumbleys kept horses. She told the owner she was still planning on coming out that night for a lesson, adding that her son was having a hard time since his friend had left and that he got in trouble for the drawing. “I plan on being there, plus the vet said it’s better for him to move around and keep ... circulation going while he’s dealing with mud fever good times,” Jennifer Crumbley wrote, talking about their horse, which had been having medical issues.

Controversy over Ethan Crumbley, therapists testifying

The second day of the trial started with a heated debate over whether the shooter and three therapists who met with him are going to testify in the mom's case. Jennifer Crumbley's lawyer, Shannon Smith, is concerned that jurors will hear testimony today that she will not be able to rebut if the shooter and the psychiatrists don't testify.

Specifically, the jurors will see text messages that Ethan Crumbley wrote to a friend alleging that he was struggling mentally, but his parents wouldn't help them.

Smith has stated in court documents that she has evidence that the shooter told a therapist that he never asked his parents for help and that he lied to his friend in text messages stating that his parents ignored him. There are also reports that he said just the opposite to another therapist — so Smith argues she has a right to question the shooter and the counselors to show to jurors that the shooter is not reliable.

Smith argues that unless the shooter or the therapists aren't compelled to testify, those text messages shouldn't come into evidence either, because she won't be able to challenge them.

"I have no way to cross-examine to show the inconsistencies," Smith argued in court.

Earlier this week, Smith asked the judge to compel the shooter and the psychiatrists to testify.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews has not yet ruled on that motion, and said that issue will not be decided today.

But she did say that the shooter has a right to remain silent. And while the defense has a right to call him as a witness, Matthews said, putting him on the stand would be useless.

"You are not allowed to put someone on the stand knowing they are going to take the Fifth," Matthews said. " I’m going to prohibit you from putting any witness on the stand who is taking the Fifth."

Smith, meanwhile, also urged Matthews to consider her other request: that she not allow the shooter's text messages to his friend be admitted as evidence.

Matthews, who more than a year ago ruled that the text messages can be used at trial, said she is not going to change her mind.

"I’m frankly irritated," Matthews said from the bench. "I'm not going to go back and change my ruling from a year and a half ago."

Smith also asked the judge to admit into evidence certain medical records of the shooter that she argues can help the defense. But given that Ethan Crumbley has not waived his privilege regarding his confidential medical records, the judge noted the law may not allow her to do that stating: "I have found nothing that says these records aren't privileged."

"I understand why you want it," Matthews said, noting she hasn't seen the confidential file that Smith is referencing. "But I have to follow the rules. Believe me I have been researching these issues ... Frankly, I’m trying to help you."

As for compelling the shooter to testify and prohibiting his texts from being used, Smith told Matthews that she's not asking her to change the initial ruling, but to issue a new one, maintaining that she did not learn until this week that the shooter has decided to plead the Fifth, and that he will not waive his privilege to protect his medical records. That means his conversations with the psychiatrists are off limits.

Matthews said that's not new information.

"You are a smart and experienced attorney. I think it’s disingenous to say you are surprised that he is going to plead the Fifth," Matthews said, later adding: "I understand your problem. I understand the difficulties. If you knew how much I have spent on this ... it's mind-boggling."

Video analyst: Images 'burned in my brain'

Emotional testimony was given by Edward Wagrowski, who was working in computer crimes at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the shooting. He responded to the school and reviewed surveillance footage of the massacre.

Wagrowski, who now works for the U.S. Secret Service, described falling into a caravan of law enforcement converging on the scene. Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast asked him how fast he was going.

“As fast as the van will let me,” he said, but “it seemed like an eternity, I can tell you that much.”

When he got into town, he saw students walking across the snow, headed toward the Meijer, which served as a reunification point. One teen was missing a shoe. At the store, students were standing in the cold.

Once at the school, Wagrowski’s job was to review the surveillance footage of the shooting. At least one juror became emotional, wiping her eyes, as Wagrowski described the shooting. Others in the courtroom also could be heard quietly crying.

The shooting started as soon as Ethan Crumbley exited a bathroom and immediately began firing and struck his first teenage victim, who survived. Wagrowski described the shooter turning his gun on a group of students. Hana St. Juliana was struck and fell to the ground. She was killed. Holding the gun up with one arm, Ethan Crumbley fired rounds down the hallway. When he came to Madisyn Baldwin, crouching on the ground to protect herself, he shot her in the head, Wagrowski testified.

Also killed in the shooting was Tate Myre. Wagrowski testified Ethan Crumbley fired at him from down a hallway, leveling the gun as if he were at a gun range. He shot Myre a second time as he walked by, Wagrowski said.

Later, Crumbley could be seen going into a bathroom. That’s where he shot Justin Shilling.

As to the footage, Wagrowski said: “It’s burned in my brain.”

Wagrowski, an analyst who is an expert in cellphone forensics, is still on the stand. He analyzed phones and social media accounts that belonged to Jennifer and James Crumbley, as well as their son.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Day 2 recap: Jennifer Crumbley involuntary manslaughter trial resumes