(WXYZ) — The parents of the teen accused of a deadly shooting at Oxford High School in November 2021 are in court on Tuesday.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are each facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of four students who were killed during their rampage.
Defense attorneys tried to get the preliminary exam delayed. They argued the prosecution has been slow to provide them evidence. According to court documents, that evidence includes 3,000 pages of material, 70 hours of video and 10 hours of important taped interviews. They want more time to look it over before stepping into court.
The judge dismissed their motion and allowed the preliminary exam to begin, with the prosecution calling witnesses.
In court documents, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said "each filing, each court date, and the statements of the attorneys and the defendants all have an impact, one that is magnified by the media reporting that surrounds every event in this case."
McDonald is referring in part to a video zoom conference that took place in December.
James and Jennifer were seen publicly making gestures of love to one another. McDonald said this is only further traumatizing to victims and their families.
In November 2021, Ethan Crumbley allegedly opened fire at the school, killing four students and injuring seven others, including a teacher.
The Crumbleys are accused of gifting their teenage son the gun used in the shooting, not locking up the weapon properly and ignoring signs of mental instability.
McDonald said they have also narrowed the witnesses down to no more than 30, including five who are coworkers of Jennifer, five who were involved in the search at their home, and Oxford school employees.
Jennifer Crumbley's boss, Andrew Smith, testified Tuesday that she said right before the shooting that she felt she was failing her son.
They are being held on $500,000 bond each, and their son is being held without bond. He is expected to plead guilty by reason of insanity.
