(WXYZ) — Jury selection is less than 24 hours away in the case of involuntary manslaughter charges against James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter.
He's set to appear at the Oakland County courthouse tomorrow.
Today, the mother of a student killed in the shooting and a former prosecutor are weighing in on what’s expected to unfold.
"There’s nothing in this world that’s going to cause me to feel some kind of peace in losing my child. It’s always a hole that’s missing," said Nicole Beausoleil, mother of Madisyn Baldwin.
Hear more from Nicole in the video player below:
Having lived a nightmare for more than 2 years, Nicole continues to feel the overwhelming loss of her daughter Madisyn Baldwin.
Madisyn, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling were killed in November 2021 by the Oxford High School shooter.
The gunman is now serving life without parole, and his mother, Jennifer Crumbley, is awaiting sentencing after a jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
On Tuesday morning, the shooter’s father, James Crumbley, will face his own trial.
“I would really like to see what he has to say in this matter," said Nicole.
Prosecutors allege gross negligence in James buying a handgun for his son, then failing to secure it, and ignoring pleas for help and other troubling warning signs involving his son in a meeting with school counselors the morning of the mass shooting.
Hear from metro Detroiters after the Jennifer Crumbley verdict:
James and Jennifer chose to leave him at school, despite being asked to get him help right away.
“The stuff he was doing, saying, writing and showing, and watching is not just a kid going through a hard time," said Nicole.
While this case will be judged by a new jury, weighing some separate evidence from the trial against Jennifer, Nicole’s attorney Wolf Mueller says there's a common denominator.
"This tragedy was foreseeable. James Crumbley will be found responsible because it’s foreseeable. Jennifer was already found responsible because it was foreseeable," he said.
Former federal prosecutor Mark Chutkow has also followed the case and is now weighing in, saying this prosecution could become the blueprint for many other cases.
“I think the defense is going to be more careful selecting jurors that are gun owners," said Mark.
He tells us defense in this case will have to overcome challenges.
“The dad bought the gun. He was a gun owner and knew how to safely store guns. Yet, he didn’t. Evidence showed the lock box was still in factory settings. Cable lock wasn’t used," said Mark.
For Nicole, the need for accountability is something she says she thinks about daily, but the heaviness remains.
“Even if they got the max sentence it wouldn’t be enough. It still doesn’t bring my child back," she said.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case involving James Crumbley are prohibited from talking about the case, as a result of a judge’s gag order.
