(WXYZ) — The attorneys for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford High School shooter, are asking a judge to sanction Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald following her appearance on WXYZ’s Spotlight on the News program.
Mariell Lehman, the attorney for James Crumbley, said in a court filing that McDonald violated the gag order with her comments, including her statement “we don’t charge cases that we don’t believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt” after a question about the Crumbleys. McDonald did say multiple times prior on the program that she could not comment on the case.
Petition Crumbley by WXYZ-TV Detroit on Scribd
On Tuesday afternoon, the prosecution filed a response to the motion.
It read in part: "The Prosecutor is in full compliance with the Court's order regarding pretrial publicity, and any suggestion that she violated it is absolutely false. These motions are frivolous, and perplexing — even on their face, they cite nothing that violates the Court's order."
Prosecutor Response by WXYZ-TV Detroit on Scribd
The parents, who are each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, will be tried separately.
The son of the Crumbleys pleaded guilty to the November 2021 shooting at the school that killed four students and injured seven other people. Madisyn Baldwin, 17, Justin Shilling, 17, Tate Myre, 16, and Hana St. Juliana, 14 were killed in the shooting.
In February 2022, a judge bound over James and Jennifer after a preliminary examination, saying there was enough evidence for them to stand trial. However, their lawyers appealed the ruling. In October, the Michigan Supreme Court denied the appeal
Defense lawyers have argued in the past that this case might set a precedent where parents could be charged for violent acts committed by their children.
The trial date for the pair was originally set for January. The shooter’s sentencing is scheduled for December.
