ROCHESTER HILLS (WWJ) -- The parents of accused Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley will stand trial on four counts each of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors claim James and Jennifer Crumbley bought the 9mm handgun used in the November 30 shooting for 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, and failed to help him with mental health issues they knew that he had.
In announcing her decision to bind the couple over for trial, 52-3 District Court Judge Julie Nicholson said the deaths at Oxford High could have been avoided if the Crumbleys exercised what she called, "ordinary care."
A similar argument was made by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald who told the court, "Just one thing could have prevented this, just one action they did: Lock the gun up, let them know he has a gun, take him home, immediately find him care."
The decision Thursday came down shortly after some of Ethan Crumbley's journal entries were presented by McDonald, including one in which the teen allegedly wrote: "I hope my parents can forgive me for what I do."
In another journal entry read in the courtroom, the teen blamed his parents for what he was about to do.
"I will cause the biggest school shooting Michigan’s history. I will kill everyone I f—ing see," the alleged shooter wrote. "I have fully mentally lost it after fighting my dark side. My parents won’t help me.”
One chilling entry read “The first victim has to be to be a pretty girl with a future so she can suffer like me.
"...I have zero help with my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot the school. My parents won’t listen to me.”
One of several witnesses to testify during a two-day preliminary exam, school counselor Shawn Hopkins said he told James and Jennifer Crumbley that he believed their son was a threat to himself and that he needed mental health support.
On the stand, Hopkins was asked by defense attorney Shannon Smith if he gave the couple the "option" to take their son home on the day of the shooting, or send him back to class after a 15-minute meeting with Hopkins, the dean, and his parents
"I did not provide options," Hopkins said. "I provided the recommendation that he gets help as soon as possible; today if possible."
Hopkins said the teen's mother told him, that today was not an option because she had to return to work.
However, Hopkins conceded that he did not say that the teen had to leave the school. He also said he did not know that Ethan had a gun in his backpack when he wrote him a pass to return to class.
Just a few hours after that meeting, four students were fatally shot, and another six students and a teacher were wounded.
While prosecutors allege that Ethan was depressed, spiraling out of control, that his parents did not act responsibly, the defense argues that the parents had no way of knowing that their son would shoot up the school.
During cross examination, Smith argued that there's nothing in the journal to indicate that Ethan Crumbley told his parents about his plans.
In questioning Oakland County Sheriff's Detective Ed Wagrowski about text messages, Smith asked Wagrowski to confirm that there were no texts between Jennifer and James in which they said they thought Ethan had plans to kill anyone.
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"If there was any text between Jen and James, or a Facebook message that said, 'I believe our son could be a school shooter,' you certainly would have testified about that in his courtroom?" to which Wagrowski replied: "Yes, ma'am."
As for the gun, prosecutors contend that it was a Christmas gift for the teen, and that the parents did not keep it locked up.
Cammy Back, a clerk who sold the weapon to James Crumbley, was questioned by Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast who asked if its her store's policy to turn over a trigger lock or cable lock with every gun that is purchased.
Back said, "yes," adding that she did indeed provide a gun lock to James Crumbley.
Ethan Crumbley is charged as an adult with first-degree murder, attempted murder, terrorism and gun charges.
Bond for the Crumbleys remains at $500,000 each.
No trial date has been set.
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