Even before opening arguments got underway Thursday in the manslaughter trial of James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, the judge made a ruling to exclude from evidence texts between the shooter and his mother, Jennifer Crumbley.
Judge Cheryl Matthews said she would not admit the texts — which Ethan sent to his mother’s phone while the couple was allegedly taking photos and ignoring his messages asking for help — because there was no evidence that James Crumbley knew about them or saw them.
James Crumbley is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter for his alleged role in the November 2021 shooting in which four students were killed and seven others were injured. Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, were killed in the shooting.
His trial comes weeks after Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of the same four charges. She will be sentenced in April.
The cases are a rare instance of parents being charged in connection with a shooting carried out by their child.
Ethan Crumbley, who was only 15 years old at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to 24 counts including first-degree premeditated murder and terrorism causing death. He was sentenced to life without parole in December.
James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, stands in Oakland County Circuit Court as the jury is sworn in on the first day of his trial on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of 4 Oxford High School students who were shot and killed by his son, on March 7, 2024 in Pontiac, Mich.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Matthews also excluded a series of text messages between Ethan Crumbley and a friend, sent on the day of the shooting, hinting that the shooting was going to take place.
“I’m about to do something really bad and there’s no turning back, so I’ll probably never be able to see you again,” a portion of the message read.
Prosecutors began Thursday with opening statements after a jury was seated on Wednesday. The jury consists of nine women and six men.
Assistant prosecutor Marc Keast sought to place blame on James Crumbley, while telling the jury that the shooting was foreseeable and preventable.
“He was the adult — out of anyone in the world — in the best position to prevent these kids’ deaths,” Keast said.
After news of the shooting spread, James Crumbley called police and identified his son as the suspected shooter.
James Crumbley, who bought the gun used in the shooting for his son just four days before the attack, did so despite knowing he was “in total and complete social isolation” prior to the shooting, Keast alleged.
James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, stands as the jury enters in Oakland County Circuit Court on the first day of his trial on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of 4 Oxford High School students who were shot and killed by his son, on March 7, 2024 in Pontiac, Mich.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Keast also said James Crumbley — who told the school he could not take his son home the morning of the shooting because he had work — hadn’t signed in to work for the day. Keast also argued that James Crumbley set his own hours as a DoorDash driver and could have taken his son with him in the car while he made deliveries.
The first witness to take the stand was Molly Darnell, an educator at Oxford High School, who was shot in the arm during the shooting.
Darnell previously testified in a hearing for the shooter and during Jennifer Crumbley’s trial. She recounted the day of the shooting, saying when she saw the bullet holes in the door of her classroom, she believed that Crumbley had tried to kill her, aiming for her head. Darnell said she texted her husband, “I love you. Active shooter.”
Former Oxford police detective Edward Wagrowski also testified about responding to the shooting and the investigation that ensued.