Jury begins deliberations in trial of James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter
(CBS DETROIT) - Closing arguments were delivered and the jury began deliberations Wednesday in the trial of James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter.
The fifth day of the trial began with the prosecution recalling ATF Special Agent Brett Brandon to testify. The prosecution then rested. The defense called the sister of James Crumbley, Karen Crumbley, to testify.
The defense did not call any other witnesses to testify after Karen Crumbley.
Closing arguments began at 12:30 p.m. after the jury returned from their lunch break. Arguments took roughly two hours to complete, with Judge Cheryl Matthews handing the jury instructions after closing arguments. The jury began deliberation afterward.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald gives closing argument
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald began her closing argument by describing the experiences each witness had either on the day of the shooting or in the days after the shooting.
When referring to the shooter, the prosecutor said, "He pulled the trigger. James Crumbley is not on trial for what his son did. James Crumbley is on trial for what he did and what he didn't do."
She explained the theories of involuntary manslaughter to the jury and said they only need to agree that the prosecution proved at least one of the two theories beyond a reasonable doubt.
McDonald said that if James Crumbley knew what his son was going to do, he would be charged with murder, but in this case, he failed to perform a legal duty as a parent and is accused of being negligent.
"James Crumbley was presented with the easiest, most glaring opportunities to prevent the deaths of these four students, and he did nothing," said McDonald. "He did nothing. He did nothing over and over and over again. And the evidence shows that."
McDonald continued to remind the jury of the testimony they heard from each person during the trial.
She went through the different things James Crumbley said during the investigation but pointed out he never said he didn't know how his son could've gotten the gun.
When talking about how the school employees who met with the parents and their son the day of the shooting, McDonald told them they may not like what they did and said she didn't like it either.
"But my job isn't to present to you the evidence that looks just good for my case," McDonald said. "My job is to present evidence to you, all of it because this is about the truth. But he doesn't get a pass because you don't think the teachers did enough."
She walked the jury through how each student was murdered in the shooting but did not play video footage again.
McDonald discussed the gun next, discussing how the gun wasn't stored safely and how the cable lock was never used and left in the package.
She discussed how, in the journal, the shooter expressed how he was feeling mentally and that his parents wouldn't get him help. She also referenced the texts he sent his friend about needing help and wanting to call 911, but that his parents would be '"really pissed" at him.
McDonald showed the jury the math worksheet that the shooter had written disturbing words and drawn a picture of a gun and someone bleeding with bullet holes.
She described James Crumbley's how he continued to DoorDash after the meeting at the school and then his response to the news of the Oxford shooting.
"There were 1,800 students in Oxford High School," said McDonald. "There was one parent who suspected their son was the school shooter. And it was James Crumbley."
McDonald then played the 911 call James Crumbley made, where he said there was an active shooter at the high school, and his gun was missing. He also mentioned the meeting with school counselors about what he wrote on the assignment.
She pointed out that James Crumbley waited 14 minutes after getting home to call 911, even though he said he called right away.
The prosecution concluded her closing argument by saying, "He failed to perform his legal duty to prevent these kids from being killed, and he failed their parents, too. And I ask that you find him guilty."
Defense attorney Mariell Lehman gives closing argument
Defense attorney Mariell Lehman began her closing argument. She told the jury that on Dec. 3, 2021, the parents of a school shooter were charged with involuntary manslaughter for the first time.
She said that the shooting "undeniably changed people's lives in ways most of us will never understand" and that she and James Crumbley do not dispute that.
"We are here to look at what James Crumbley knew before and on Nov. 30, 2021, before the shooting began," said Lehman.
Lehman told the jury they heard no testimony and saw no evidence that the father was aware that his son knew where the firearms were hidden and that he had obtained and handled them unsupervised.
She explained reasonable doubt to the jury and said that if a juror has reasonable doubt, then "they must vote not guilty."
Lehman goes through all the evidence the prosecution would have given had James Crumbley been aware of his son's mental health help and that his son was accessing guns without permission.
She pointed out texts between the shooter and his friend and his journal and said that just because the shooter talked about his mental health needs in these places didn't mean that James Crumbley knew about his struggles and that he would have acknowledged them if he was aware.
"James had no idea that his son was having a hard time," Lehman said.
She referenced the testimony from the school counselor and dean of students and said that they believed James and Jennifer Crumbley would get their son help.
Lehman said they didn't ask if there were guns in the home because they weren't concerned that the shooter was a danger to anyone.
"Please, follow the law. Review the evidence, review the instructions and follow the law. Because I'm confident that if you do that, each of you will have at least one reasonable doubt and your vote will be not guilty. And your vote should be not guilty, not just because you have reasonable doubt, but because James Crumbley is not guilty," Lehman said as she closed her argument.
Defense calls sister of James Crumbley to testify
The day started with the prosecution recalling ATF Special Agent Brett Brandon, who testified during the trial on Tuesday.
Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast asked Brandon if James and Jennifer left the art studio at any point while they were there, and he said when he reviewed surveillance footage, he did not see them leave. The art studio's owner dropped off groceries and water while they were there.
Defense attorney Mariell Lehman said the parents stepped out of the building to smoke while they were there, and Brandon confirmed this.
The prosecution rested, and the defense called Karen Crumbley, the sister of James Crumbley, to testify.
Karen Crumbley was living in Florida in 2021 but saw James Crumbley and his son in April 2021. Karen Crumbley says her mother was in the hospital and had died on April 6. They were in Florida for about a week.
While her nephew was there, Karen Crumbley said she didn't recall seeing anything concerning him. She also said that she and James Crumbley had not had any conversations about him being concerned about his son.
Karen Crumbley also went to Michigan with her father and stepmother in June of 2021 to visit her brother, and they stayed at the Crumbley home for about a week.
She testified that she did not see anything concerning with her nephew at this time either.
Karen Crumbley said she would have addressed it if she saw anything concerning with her nephew and would have made her brother aware of it.
During the cross-examination, Keast asked her about her relationship with her brother, and Karen Crumbley said she would talk to her brother about once a month, but Keast said phone records show it was far less than that.
She told him they talked over social media as well, and Keast said there were two Facebook calls and 22 messages between them throughout the entire year of 2021.
Lehman asked about the guns and said while it would be concerning for a parent to purchase their kid a gun to use at their leisure, she saw no problem with a gun being used with parental supervision. While Karen was in Michigan in June, James Crumbley had showed her the guns.
The defense said they would not call any other witnesses to testify.
Closing arguments will begin at 12:30 p.m. after the jury returns from their lunch break.
On Tuesday, the prosecution called six witnesses. Adam Stoyek, a detective with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, was the first witness called.
Jurors heard about the search that Stoyek and other officers carried out at the Crumbley's home and were shown a video of James and Jennifer Crumbley in the back of a police cruiser.
David Hendrick, a former detective sergeant for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, was the second witness to testify Tuesday. He was followed by Luke Kirtley, the owner of a coffee roasting company in Detroit, which is housed in the same building where James and Jennifer Crumbley were found.
David Metzke, a member of the Detroit Police Department, was the fourth person who testified and the first witness who did not testify during the trial of Jennifer Crumbley. Metzke is a member of DPD's SWAT team, and footage from his body cam from the night of the Crumbleys being apprehended was shown to the jury.
William Creer, a crime scene investigator with DPD, and Timothy Willis, a detective lieutenant with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and lead detective on the case, testified.
READ: Trial of James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter, continues with third day of testimony
James Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors accuse him of purchasing the gun used in the shooting for his son and not getting his son the treatment he needed for his mental health struggles despite his requests for help.
James Crumbley's trial comes on the heels of Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the shooter, who was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in February. She will be sentenced on April 9.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were charged in the Oxford High School shooting where their son killed four students, Justin Shilling, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana, and injured seven other people on Nov. 30, 2021.
READ: Two witnesses testify on first day in trial of James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter
The shooter was sentenced in December 2023 to life in prison without parole.