(WWJ) - The parents of the Oxford High School mass shooter will get separate criminal trials, after a judge agreed to grant their request.
According to court filings, James and Jennifer Crumbley said they received evidence indicating that there may be a conflict of interest if they were to be tried together.
WWJ's Charlie Langton reports that the evidence wasn’t detailed, but what was available said that law enforcement interviewed two witnesses in Florida on Oct. 31. The transcripts of those interviews were given to the defendants.
Both defendants are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter following the deadly shootings at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.
The Crumbleys are the first parents of a mass murderer to be charged after Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald claimed that the parents bought the gun Ethan Crumbley used to kill his classmates, and failed to get him mental health help when he needed it.
The parents were arrested on Dec. 4, 2021 after being found in a commercial building near Belle Isle.
In a one-page ruling handed down Monday afternoon, Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews granted Jennifer Crumbley's request to "sever" her trial from her that of her husband, who filed a similar motion asking for a seperate.
There was no immediate response by the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office regarding these developments.
Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to all 24 charges against him — including first-degree murder, attempted murder and terrorism. He awaits sentencing.
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