Brian Meloche, man who had an affair with Jennifer Crumbley, testifies about messages exchanged after Oxford shooting
(CBS DETROIT) - A jury has found Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, guilty of all four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Brian Meloche, a friend of Jennifer Crumbley's and someone she was having an affair with, testified in her trial.
During the fifth day of testimony, Facebook messages exchanged between Jennifer Crumbley and Meloche were shown.
Jennifer Crumbley took the stand for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 1.
Jennifer Crumbley testifies about her affair with Brian Meloche
On Thursday, Jennifer Crumbley took the stand for the first time and testified about her affair with Brian Meloche.
They were friends from high school who had recently reconnected. The affair went on for about six months in the spring of 2021, and according to Jennifer Crumbley, they would usually see each other once a week.
She said the affair didn't affect the relationship with her son because she and Meloche would only meet in the mornings in the parking lot of a Costco while her son was at school.
Jennifer Crumbley admitted that neither her son nor her husband knew about the affair.
Jennifer Crumbley and Brian Meloche's affair revealed
While Meloche was on the stand, the jury learned that he and the mother had an affair.
Before this, Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews had ruled that any information about the mother's affair would be excluded from the trial, saying it was not relevant to her involuntary manslaughter charges.
So, when the prosecution asked Meloche questions, they focused on the messages exchanged between Jennifer Crumbley and Meloche.
But, when defense attorney Shannon Smith started her questioning and asked Meloche questions about his police interviews and if they threatened him with losing his job as a firefighter, Marc Keast, assistant prosecutor, claimed that if she can bring this up, then they have the right to let the jury know about the affair.
Smith agreed.
"She had an affair. Lots of people have affairs. It doesn't mean you know your son is going to be a school shooter," Smith said.
Matthews made sure Jennifer Crumbley was aware of what this meant, and she supported her attorney's decisions.
Facebook messages sent just before and after the shooting
A few hours before the shooting, Jennifer and James Crumbley were called to the school to have a meeting with counselors and the dean of students, and she messaged Meloche and told him that she was afraid her son would do something dumb.
Meloche responded by asking Jennifer Crumbley where the gun was, and she said it was in her vehicle. He told it that it shouldn't be there.
The two also messaged each other in the days after the shooting. "I failed as a parent," Jennifer Crumbley said in a message on Dec. 1. "I failed miserably."
After the shooting, Jennifer Crumbley had also told Meloche that the gun was missing, and he told her to contact the authorities.
Meloche told her that she didn't do it. After that, she mentioned that there were news articles about her and her husband being charged, and Meloche said he had seen that too but not to trust what she saw in the news.
On Dec. 2, the mother messaged Meloche about the involuntary manslaughter charges.
"We're on the run again. Helicopters not sure where to I'll message you," Crumbley said.
On Dec. 3, Jennifer Crumbley messaged and said school officials didn't see him as a threat and said he could stay in school.
"His f------ backpack was with him why didn't they search it?" Jennifer Crumbley said.
The parents were taken into custody early on Dec. 4 after they were found in a studio at an industrial building in Detroit.
Jennifer Crumbley is being charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting on Nov. 30, 2021, where her son killed four students, Justin Shilling, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana, and injured seven other people.
Her son was sentenced to life in prison without parole.