OXFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — A crucial decision has been made in the case of involuntary manslaughter charges against the parents of the accused Oxford high school shooter Ethan Crumbley.
Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews has decided not to prevent Prosecutor Karen McDonald from releasing emails with updates to 1,800 families impacted.
The deadly mass shooting at Oxford High School last November has kept Jennifer and James Crumbley behind bars at the Oakland County Jail.
“We’re just coming up on the anniversary, so it’s tangible, and to have someone discredit that is insult on top of injury,” parent Andrea Smalt said.
She says her son Griffen Jones, a senior, has felt the post-traumatic stress many have experienced ever since he heard those deadly gunshots last November in school.
“I don’t go anywhere without my phone for fear of missing that phone call from either of my kids and not having contact,” Smalt said.
Attorneys for the parents had opposed the prosecutor releasing email updates to parents of children who were not killed, claiming they were unfair and landed on social media. At the same time, the prosecutor has argued victims are not limited to the families of those four who died, but rather include those injured and those who felt other effects of that tragic day.
7 Action News asked parent Staci Brodeur, “When you first found out they were working to stop flow of information, what went through your mind?”
She told us, “I was outraged we could not be considered victims. Everything that happens in our community is through that lens and part of everything they do.”
Parents also told us they can see triggers impacting their kids on a daily basis. Each time they get an email from the school district or see an emergency vehicle go by, they assume the worst.
Brodeur adds a gag order on both sides keeping them from talking to media further underscores the need for court updates.
“One of the things I have been thrilled with is notes from the prosecutors because they’ll say exactly what the motion is, the legal precedent behind it and why something is happening every 30 days,” Brodeur said.
