No new trials for Michigan school shooter’s parents despite violation by prosecutors, judge rules
Jun 11, 2025, 2:51 PM | Updated: 3:18 pm
FILE - Photographs of four students 鈥� Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17 鈥� sit among bouquets of flowers, teddy bears and other personal items left at the memorial site for victims of the school shooting, outside Oxford High School, Dec. 7, 2021, in Oxford, Mich. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)
DETROIT (AP) 鈥� A judge on Wednesday denied requests for new trials by the parents of a Michigan school shooter, despite finding that prosecutors had committed a violation by failing to disclose agreements with two important witnesses.
Setting aside the involuntary manslaughter convictions of James and Jennifer Crumbley and starting over would be too severe, Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews said.
鈥淭he court would effectively be ignoring the impact of dozens of hours of testimony, postulating a basis for the jury verdict, dismissing a plethora of other evidence suggesting guilt, and impermissibly speculating about what 鈥榤ight have happened,鈥� 鈥� Matthews said.
The Crumbleys are serving 10-year prison sentences. They didn’t know their son had planned to commit a mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021. But they were accused of failing to lock a gun at home and ignoring Ethan Crumbley’s mental health needs. Four students were killed.
The parents didn鈥檛 take Ethan home on the day of the shooting when they were confronted with his macabre drawing of a gun, blood and dark messages.
School administrator Nick Ejak and counselor Shawn Hopkins testified about that meeting. But unknown to jurors and defense lawyers: The men earlier had given interviews to investigators with the promise that their words would not be used against them. They were never charged.
Lawyers for the Crumbleys argued that producing those agreements was a fundamental obligation of prosecutors. They said trial attorneys would have further tried to cast doubt on the credibility of Ejak and Hopkins during cross-examination.
鈥淭he lack of disclosure … is in itself disturbing,鈥� the judge acknowledged.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald’s team had argued that the deals weren鈥檛 immunity agreements and didn鈥檛 need to be shared.
Jennifer Crumbley’s appellate lawyer said the fight will continue in higher courts.
鈥淪o the prosecution intentionally cheated and violated the court rules, but they didn’t cheat hard enough for the court to do anything about it,” Michael Dezsi said.
Ethan Crumbley is serving a life prison sentence.
Crumbley, now 19, is serving a life prison sentence. His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are each serving 10-year sentences for involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said they had ignored his mental health needs, bought him a gun as a gift and then failed to safely secure it.
