Ethan Crumbley’s parents broke into tears as they appeared in court after being charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter each.
James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the 15-year-old school shooter who killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan, fought back tears as they appeared in front of the judge for the first time since their arraignment.
Both parents have pleaded not guilty to all counts and are currently being held on a $500,000 bond each.
During their hearing, chained James was seen repeatedly mouthing “I love you” to his wife who was seated next to him. Jennifer appeared to respond by nodding and saying something in return.
Throughout their court appearance, Mr. Crumbley repeatedly glanced at his wife with tears in his eyes while Jennifer anxiously rocked her foot and clasped her shackled hands.
It was during the court appearance concluded that the preliminary exam will wait until February 8 to give the prosecutors and the defense more time to prepare. The preliminary hearing was originally set for December 22.
As Prosecutor Karen McDonald suggested, the prosecution encountered a “staggering” amount of evidence that needs to be reviewed and examined thoroughly.
“We have police narratives, we have digital evidence, we have video evidence. We have viewed a lot of it, certainly enough to establish charges here. But there’s also more investigation that needs to be done,” the prosecutor told the reporters after the hearing.
Backing up the prosecution’s request to postpone the preliminary exam were also the Crumbleys’ lawyers, Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman, who at the end of the hearing suggested they will seek to reduce their clients’ bond.
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