Dispute over text messages exchanged between Jennifer Crumbley, attorney about turning self in
(CBS DETROIT) - The trial of Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, continues Friday and began with a dispute over text messages between the mother and her attorney.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams started by bringing up the topic of Jennifer Crumbley waiving her privilege, saying that she was in communication with her attorney, Shannon Smith, while she was waiting to turn herself in.
Jennifer Crumbley testified that she and James Crumbley hadn't turned themselves in because they were relying on the advice they received from her attorney.
Williams says these text messages cannot be used as evidence that Jennifer Crumbley would turn herself in unless the court can also see and review the messages.
Smith said she had no idea her client was going to testify about their communications leading up to her turning herself in and asked Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews if that could be struck from the record.
The judge ruled that would not happen.
The text messages Williams is referring to are from a burner phone that Jennifer Crumbley had with her when she was found in the Detroit art studio.
He said that when reviewing evidence, he saw who the messages were sent to but stopped reading and asked if the defense wanted to invoke privilege, which they said they wanted to do.
During her testimony yesterday, Jennifer Crumbley said she went to bed at 11 p.m. the night she was found, but texts were sent at 11:16 p.m.
Matthews reviewed the messages and gave the prosecution a copy to review.
The mother took the stand for the first time on Thursday, discussing her relationship with her son, placing blame for the gun on her husband, and saying that she wished her son would have killed them instead.
Jennifer Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting where her son killed four students and injured seven other people.
