OXFORD, Mich. – The Michigan Court of Appeals will hear a defense motion Tuesday asking the four involuntary manslaughter charges against the Oxford High School shooter’s parents be dismissed.
Initially, the court had declined to hear the case, but the Michigan Supreme Court intervened and ordered the lower court to hear it. That at this stage of the court proceedings is significant.
“It is very rare that this case would be taken up before trial, and the case itself, as the Michigan Supreme Court has acknowledged, is dealing with novel legal issues,” said Defense Attorney Bill Barnwell.
The issue at hand is not whether Jennifer and James Crumbley are lousy parents or lousy human beings. That’s not what determines whether those four charges of involuntary manslaughter stand.
“The issue is, do we have a level of negligence that is beyond carelessness, that is criminal negligence,” Barnwell said. “The issue is not are they bad parents, and the issue is not did they have dysfunctional relationships. These are all things that are just confusing the main issue.”
The Crumbley’s defense team has maintained the charges against them are an overstep. Their trial was originally set to start in January until the higher courts intervened.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office maintains it has evidence that will show criminal negligence. Still, leveling the charges is attempting something legally that has not been done before in a school shooting case—holding the parents responsible for the child’s actions.