SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michelle Cobb holds nothing back when describing James Crumbley, her ex-boyfriend and the father of her 18-year-old son.
"He's a piece of (expletive). He really is," Cobb told 7 Action News Friday.
Cobb said Crumbley left their son and a daughter he had with another woman in Florida when he moved out of state with Jennifer Crumbley.
Cobb said the issues were not the relationships between the adults because she and the mother of Crumbley's now 24-year-old daughter chose to have a friendship for the sake of the children.
But Cobb said Jimmy (James) and Jennifer always looked for ways to criticize and complain about her because they hated that he had to pay child support for his son, Eli.
"I cried the moment he turned 18 because, I thought, all of this hell is over as far as dealing with my son's father," Cobb said.
She said it was Jennifer Crumbley who was running the show and that she made it difficult for Eli to get closer to his dad and half-brother Ethan.
"Jennifer was a monster," Cobb said. "She could do no wrong and she was right about everything. I mean, this is exactly the kind of attitude she has. Like, she, literally, thought she was better than everyone."
When announcing the decision to charge James and Jennifer Crumbley with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the killings their 15-year-old son Ethan allegedly carried out at Oxford High School Tuesday, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald pointed to Jennifer's Instagram post that has now become evidence in the case against the couple.
The post, which shows a picture of a handgun displayed in an open case, reads: "Mom & son day testing out his new Xmas present. My first time shooting a 9mm I hit the bullseye."
Cobb said she wouldn't be surprised if James and Jennifer purchased the semi-automatic handgun with the intent that it would belong to their tenth grader.
"They pretty much gave him whatever he wanted," she said, adding, "Why would you let a 15-year-old have access, especially knowing that just a few days prior that he was having problems at school?"
Cobb said while the Crumbleys were giving Ethan whatever Ethan wanted, it was a hopeless struggle to get James to pay $67 a week in child support when he was earning a six-figure income.
"My son is six-foot-three and 240 pounds. Do you know how much $67 a week pays? And he wears a size 17 shoe," she said.
Cobb said Jennifer Crumbley made it unbearable for her son to spend time with his dad and Ethan, but she's thankful her son returned to Florida just before the pandemic.
"The first thing that came to my mind when all of this happened was how thankful that I was that my son was not there," she said.
Eli spent about four months visiting the Crumbleys in their Oxford home before deciding to go back to live with his mother.
Cobb said she's heartbroken for the families whose children were killed or injured.
And she said Ethan and his parents must be held accountable for their roles in the tragedy.
"I hope they get the maximum, honestly, all of them. They deserve it. They they need to be held accountable for what their child did. They need to have a reality check."
