Oakland County, Michigan, prosecutor Karen McDonald on Saturday highlighted text messages and a social media post from James and Jennifer Crumbley to their son, suspected Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, during their arraignment hearing.
McDonald said during the hearing that the “likelihood of conviction is strong” for the parents, who pleaded not guilty Saturday to four counts each of involuntary manslaughter after their son was accused of shooting and killing four students and injuring seven others on Tuesday.
“Mr. Crumbley purchased this weapon for his son, and…on [Nov. 27], Mrs. Crumbley…went to the shooting range with her son, posted on social media that it was a mother-son day, and that she…bought a gun for her baby for Christmas. It’s also clear from the facts that he had total access to this weapon and that it was it was for him,”
Defendants’ attorneys disputed the claim that Ethan Crumbley, 15, had “free” access to the weapon, saying the gun was “locked” before he apparently accessed it and took the weapon to School.
On Nov. 29, the Crumbleys “were aware” that their son “was searching ammunition on his phone at school,” McDonald said. The prosecutor previously said during a Friday press conference that an Oxford High School teacher noticed Ethan Crumbley searching for ammunition on his phone during class. A teacher also noticed disturbing drawings that the 15 year old created in school. Okay 👌🏻
“Instead of reacting to that as a concerned parent and worried about safety, Mrs. Crumbley texted, ‘L.O.L, just I’m not mad. Just next time, don’t get caught,'” McDonald said Saturday. Okay
On Tuesday, when Ethan Crumbley went to school with the 9 m.m. Sig Sauer pistol that James Crumbley allegedly purchased from a local firearms store on Black Friday, Nov. 26, James and Jennifer Crumbley “were called to the school about their son’s drawing, which clearly depicted threats and acts of violence,” according to McDonald.