Jury seated for trial of James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter
(CBS DETROIT) - Opening statements for the trial of James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter, will begin Thursday morning.
Jury selection began on Tuesday, March 5, for his trial in Oakland County court and wrapped up on Wednesday, with a 15-person jury comprised of nine women and six men. The all-white jury is comprised of a majority of parents, and six jurors are gun owners.
The trial comes after Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the shooter, was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter last month.
James Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. He is accused of making the gun accessible to his son and not getting his son the help needed for his mental health struggles.
The parents were charged in the Oxford High School shooting where their son killed four students, Justin Shilling, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana, and injured seven other people on Nov. 30, 2021.
CBS News Detroit will stream live coverage of the trial each day.
James Crumbley's defense attorney, Mariell Lehman, had previously argued that he could not get a fair trial in Oakland County following Jennifer Crumbley's trial.
Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews denied that request.
During James Crumbley's trial, the prosecution can call one student who was injured in the shooting to testify.
On Feb. 21, the prosecution requested to call two witnesses to testify in James Crumbley's trial. The witnesses were identified as K.O. and R.F., who were students in the hallway at the time of the shooting. They were minors when the shooting happened but are not anymore.
The prosecution claimed their testimony would be relevant to the case because they could discuss what they saw when the shooter came out of the bathroom and into the hallway during the shooting.
Matthews ruled that only one of the students could be called to testify, but the prosecution could decide which student.
Whoever is chosen cannot testify about personal pain, emotional trauma or ongoing medical treatments because it is "not relevant to prove the elements of the crime of involuntary manslaughter," according to court documents.
The prosecution plans to call the previous owner of the gun used in the shooting to testify.
Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast says the previous gun owner purchased the gun in May 2021, used it three times, and then sold it back to the store he bought it at in November 2021.
Matthews ruled that the previous gun owner could testify. She said his testimony is relevant to the case because he can discuss the condition of the cable lock.
Jennifer Crumbley will be sentenced on April 9. She was the first parent in the United States to go on trial in a mass U.S. school shooting.
Jennifer and James Crumbley's son was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
