Oakland County prosecutors seek 10 to 15 years in prison for James and Jennifer Crumbley
(CBS DETROIT) - The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office is seeking a prison sentence of at least 10 years for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford High School shooter.
Court documents submitted Wednesday to the Oakland County 6th Circuit Court also detailed threats made by James Crumbley against Prosecutor Karen McDonald and a request from Jennifer Crumbley's attorney to allow her client to complete her sentence at her guest home.
The Crumbleys were each found guilty in February and March of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Nov. 30, 2021, deadly shooting that killed four students and injured seven others.
Both parents are scheduled to be sentenced on April 9.
Their son pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in December 2023.
Jennifer Crumbley's attorney requests her client live in guest house during sentence
Court documents show Jennifer Crumbley's attorney, Shannon Smith, asked the court to allow her client to complete her sentence at her guest home in northern Oakland County, less than 10 miles from the high school.
According to a pre-sentence investigation report that was completed on Tuesday, prosecutors say Jennifer, too, requested to be placed under house arrest.
In a sentencing memorandum, Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Keast wrote Jennifer showed "a chilling lack of remorse for her culpability in this matter."
"In her own words, she "wouldn't do anything different," Keast wrote. "Consistent with her efforts to minimize her culpability directly after the shooting, defendant -- now even after trial -- continues to show a complete lack of remorse by minimizing any role she had in the matter."
In a pre-sentence interview, Jennifer acknowledged a statement she made during her trial, saying she would have changed her answer "with the information I have now."
"At trial, when I was on the stand I was asked if I would have done anything differently, I testified that I would not have - and that is true without the benefit of of (sic) hindsight that I have now," she said in her interview.
"There are so many things that I would change if I could go back in time. I knew my son to be a quiet, good kid, who loved his pets. I never imagined he would hurt other people in the way that he did."
Prosecutors: James Crumbley threatened Karen McDonald while in jail
Prosecutors detailed threats James Crumbley was accused of making during his trial in March while he was in jail. In response to the threats, he was limited to communication with only his attorney.
Keast included in the court filing various calls from James between October 2023 and January 2024. In one of the calls, James named McDonald, saying "You're f***** when I get out."
Prosecutors mentioned another call when Crumbley allegedly said, "Yeah, Karen McDonald, you're going down. Yeah. You stupid b****** at the jail. Go ahead, record this call, Send it to Karen McDonald. Tell her how James Crumbley is going to f****** take her down."
"Beyond defendant's gross negligence, his jail calls show a total lack of remorse, he blames everyone but himself, and he threatened the elected Prosecutor," Keast wrote. "The tremendous impact of defendant's gross negligence on the victims coupled with the severity of the circumstances in this case necessitate a sentence that exceeds the applicable guidelines range."
In his pre-sentence interview, James Crumbley said he was wrongly accused and convicted and that he followed the law and practiced gun safety. He also requested that he be sentenced to time served.
"I feel horrible for what happend and would do anything to be able to go back in time and change it! But I can't. And I had nothing to do with what happend. I don't know why my son did what he did. HE is the only one who knows," he said in his interview.
Like Jennifer, Keast also called out James Crumbley, saying he showed a "complete lack of remorse by minimizing any role he had in the matter."
Crumbleys lied about their alcohol use, prosecutors say
Prosecutors also argued that James and Jennifer Crumbley lied about their alcohol use prior to the shooting; Keast wrote the parents claimed they each used alcohol one to two times a week.
However, evidence from store receipts and text messages showed 18 bottles of whiskey and vodka were purchased from one store between Oct. 30, 2021, and Nov. 26, 2021.
"Unless these were entirely for someone else, the evidence shows that these defendants consumed an excessive amount of alcohol. What is significant about these purchases is that they occurred in the time frame after [the shooter's] only friend was abruptly removed from [the shooter's] life. This drastic change in circumstances in their son apparently did nothing to curtail their habits," Keast wrote.
