PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — The parents of the accused Oxford High School shooter are fighting to get their case dismissed. Their attorney is asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to throw out the manslaughter charges against them or at least rule some evidence inadmissible.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in the nation to be charged because their son allegedly carried out a mass school shooting. The appeal filed argues James and Jennifer Crumbley never should have been charged.
7 Action News was in Court on June 27 when judge Cheryl Matthews denied a motion aiming to get the case or at least some evidence against James and Jennifer Crumbley thrown out.
The appeal argues that the Crumbleys never saw their son’s journal or text messages that described mental illness, so they are irrelevant.
“What is our responsibility as parents from a criminal standpoint?” said Wade Fink.
Independent Legal Expert Wade Fink says the case could set a new precedent impacting parents.
The defense is asking the Court of Appeals to find the parents reasonably had no idea their son would allegedly shoot eleven people, killing four classmates at Oxford High in November, so the charges should be thrown out.
The prosecution argued if the Crumbleys had no idea it is because they ignored the then 15-year-old’s pleas for help, harming animals, and his school recommending immediate counseling while giving him access to a gun.
“Is it more than bad parenting? Are you responsible for the murder of children?” asked Fink
Fink says prosecutors across the country have their eye on this case and the arguments before the Court of Appeals. It is a high-risk case for the prosecution, in that the outcome is uncertain.
“I don’t know that a lot of prosecutors would have the courage to go against very strong lobbies, the gun lobby, and others and hold people accountable for the decisions they make regarding firearms, their children, and mental health That is very courageous. There are some defense lawyers, and I don’t necessarily disagree with them, that believe that this is an overreach, but that is why it is courageous in the first place,” said Fink.
James Crumbley appeal by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
Jennifer Crumbley Appeal by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
