Suspect’s parents caught in Detroit; bail set at $1M
PONTIAC, MICH.» A judge imposed a combined $1 million bail Saturday for the parents of the Michigan teen charged with killing four students at Oxford High School, hours after police said they were caught hiding in a Detroit commercial building.
James and Jennifer Crumbley entered pleas of not guilty to each of the four counts of involuntary manslaughter against them during a hearing on Zoom. Jennifer Crumbley sobbed and struggled to respond to the judge’s questions at times, and James Crumbley shook his head when a prosecutor said their son had full access to the gun used in the killings.
Judge Julie Nicholson assigned bail of $500,000 apiece to each of the parents and required GPS monitoring if they pay to be released, agreeing with prosecutors that they posed a flight risk.
Defense attorneys for the Crumbleys still argued Saturday that they never intended to flee and had made plans to meet their lawyers early that morning. Attorney Shannon Smith accused prosecutors of “cherry picking” facts to release publicly, including the accusation that their teenage son had unrestricted access to the handgun prosecutors say his father purchased for him days before the shooting.
“Our clients are just as devastated as everyone else,” Smith said, adding that the gun “was locked.” She didn’t provide more detail during Saturday’s hearing.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen Mcdonald’s office filed charges of involuntary manslaughter against the Crumbleys on Friday, accusing them of failing to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling message — “blood everywhere” — that was found at the boy’s desk. They could each face up to 15 years in prison, according to a spokeswoman for Mcdonald’s office.
The Crumbleys committed “egregious” acts, from buying a gun on Black Friday and making it available to Ethan Crumbley to resisting his removal from school when they were summoned a few hours before the shooting, Mcdonald said Friday.
Authorities had been looking for the couple since Friday afternoon. Late Friday, U.S. Marshals announced a reward of up to $10,000 each for information leading to their arrests.
Smith, the Crumbleys’ attorney, had said Friday that the pair left town earlier in the week “for their own safety” and would be returning to Oxford to face charges.
During Saturday’s hearing, Smith said they were in touch by phone and text on