Attorneys for the parents of accused school shooter Ethan Crumbley have asked an Oakland County judge to move their cases out of Oakland County or have the jury selected from non-Oakland County residents — claiming that otherwise the couple won’t get a fair trial on their involuntary manslaughter charges connected to the Nov. 30, 2021 incident in Oxford that left four dead and several others wounded.
In a motion filed May 23 in Oakland County Circuit Court, attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman said the “very widespread number of people” in Oakland County who’ve been impacted by the Oxford High School shooting and “pervasive negative (media) coverage of the cases” calls for the change in venue to ensure their rights to a fair trial are protected.
Smith and Lehman also said the Crumbley parents are “receiving far worse treatment in the court of public opinion than the actual shooter.”
The motion further accuses Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald of violating Michigan’s Rules of Professional Conduct by making statements during news conferences and interviews unsupported by evidence and which “will likely be deemed inadmissible for trial.”
James and Jennifer Crumbley each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter, accused of gross negligence that resulted in Ethan Crumbley having access to the 9 mm handgun believed to have been used in the mass shooting. Ethan Crumbley is charged with 24 felonies including murder, terrorism causing death, assault with intent to murder and weapons crimes.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for June 27 before Judge Cheryl Matthews. Along with ruling on the change of venue motion, the judge is also expected to address another motion requesting that certain testimony be excluded from the Crumbley parents’ trial, claiming its “irrelevant or more prejudicial than probative.”
Smith and Lehman are objecting to testimony about:
• The Crumbleys’ marital relationship including evidence or suspicions of infidelity
• James and Jennifer Crumbleys’ marijuana and alcohol use
• Housekeeping practices
• Amount of time and money the couple spent on their horses
• Ethan Crumbley’s video game playing and other evidence that casts a negative shadow on the couple’s parenting practices
• A coin from Nazi Germany
The attorneys also want the judge to bar any testimony or evidence related to a bird head that Ethan Crumbley reportedly kept in a jar, his Instagram photos or posts, and his internet searches.
As stated in the motion filed May 18, “failure to exclude the evidence listed…will deprive the defendants of constitutional rights” to a fair trial, representation by effective counsel, due process and more.
Trial for James Crumbley and Jennifer Crumbley is scheduled for Oct. 24. Ethan Crumbley’s trial is scheduled for Sept. 6 before Judge Kwame Rowe.
