Oxford school shooting suspect's parents say they didn't know his intentions
Detroit — The parents of a teenager charged with killing four students at a Michigan high school didn't anticipate that he would commit violence and are "devastated" like others in the community, a lawyer said Wednesday in requesting that they be granted a lower bond.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are charged with involuntary manslaughter and have been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on December 4. They're accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and failing to pull him out of school when summoned about his writings before the shooting on November 30.
Defense attorney Shannon Smith acknowledged that Jennifer Crumbley sent a text message to her son that day, telling him "don't do it." But Smith said it was a plea for him to not kill himself after the shooting at Oxford High School had already occurred and the gun was missing from home.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes.
"The Crumbleys, like every parent and community member, are devastated by the school shooting," Smith and co-counsel Mariell Lehman said in a court filing. "The last thing they expected was that a school shooting would take place, or that their son would be responsible."
Smith asked that their bond be lowered to $100,000. She said they would wear an electronic monitor if released from jail.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald has said she would oppose a lower bond.
The Crumbleys were arrested at a Detroit art studio after a manhunt hours after charges were announced on December 3 and they failed to appear in court. Smith denied they were trying to flee and said the couple had planned to appear the next day at a different court handling Saturday arraignments.
"It is clear from the media appearances by Ms. McDonald that this case is one she takes very personally, was filed out of anger and filed in an effort to send a message to gun owners," Smith said of the charges against the parents.
A judge isn't expected to consider the new bond request until January 7.
At a news conference announcing the charges earlier this month, McDonald said the Crumbleys failed to prevent the tragedy and allowed their son to have access to the gun he used in the shooting.
She said James Crumbley had purchased the 9-millimeter Sig Sauer pistol with Ethan just days earlier and that Jennifer Crumbley referred to it on social media as the teen's Christmas present.
The morning of the shooting, a teacher at the high school was alarmed by a note she saw on Ethan's desk, the prosecutor said. The note contained a drawing of a gun, a bullet, and a person who appeared to be shot twice and bleeding, along with the words: "The thoughts won't stop, help me."
The parents were summoned to the school and were told they needed to enter Ethan into counseling within the next 48 hours, the prosecutor said. But they resisted the idea of making Ethan leave school and he was sent back to class. No one inspected the teen's backpack or asked him if he had the gun with him, the prosecutor said.
-Zoe Christen Jones contributed reporting.