LANSING (WWJ) - The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered a pause on proceedings on the involuntary manslaughter cases against James and Jennifer Crumbley in connection with the shooting that claimed the lives of four students last year
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the mass school shooting at Oxford High School, the state's highest court put on hold on the cases Tuesday until the Court of Appeals determines if there was enough evidence to send the parents to trial.
"There are a lot of interesting and novel legal issues in this case," WWJ legal analyst Charlie Langton said, "but I am not ready to call this ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court a victory for the Crumbley parents, not yet anyway."
"The Michigan Supreme Court in an order, not a ruling, but in an order wants the court of appeals to write an opinion as to whether or not the Crumbley parents should face manslaughter charges," Langton continued. "Whether or not the criminal acts, essentially, of the defendant should be tagged to those parents, that's the issue in the case.”
The Michigan Supreme Court ordered the state appeals court to hear an appeal from both James and Jennifer Crumbley, whose son Ethan, 16, killed four students and injured six more plus a teacher in Oakland County.
Their 16-year-old son pleaded guilty on Oct. 24 to all 24 felony charges related to the shooting, including four counts of first-degree murder and one count of terrorism.
Both James and Jennifer have been behind bars for the better part of a year pending the trail, Langton added.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald claims the parents bought the gun used in the shooting last November for their teenaged son and didn't get him help when he needed it.
The case is letting legal precedents across the nation as no parents of mass murdered have ever been charged. Defense lawyers, meanwhile, argue that the Crumbleys can't be held criminally responsible for their son's actions.
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