Jurors in the Jennifer Crumbley trial spent most of Friday listening to testimony from the only witness called to the stand that day — a former data/computer crimes expert who spoke about text messages, phone calls and voicemails, emails and social media postings from the defendant and others in connection with the Oxford school shooting.
The witness, Ed Wagrowski, played a key role in the mass shooting’s investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office — developing Crumbley’s “digital footprint” in the months leading up to it and a few days afterward until she was arrested, along with her husband, James Crumbley.
Jennifer and James Crumbley are each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the four homicides their son, Ethan Crumbley committed. The Crumbley parents are accused of gross negligence in allowing the shooter access to the firearm he used to kill four fellow students and injure seven others on Nov. 30 2021 at Oxford High School and for not properly addressing his mental health needs.
Jennifer Crumbley’s trial started Jan. 25 in Oakland County Circuit Court. James Crumbley’s trial is scheduled for March.
During Wagrowski’s direct examination, assistant prosecutor Marc Keast had Wagrowski share multiple text messages, Facebook Messenger threads and more in support of the criminal charges against Jennifer Crumbley — including some deleted material later recovered during the investigation.
Among them:
• Ethan Crumbley messages with a friend where he spoke about “mentally and physically dying,” and that his parents blew him off when he asked for help
• Jennifer Crumbley not responding to her son when he texted her about their house being haunted, “clothes flying off the shelves,” a “demon throwing bowls,” and other disturbing experiences; she and James Crumbley were riding their horses at the horse farm where the animals were boarded and seemingly ignored him
• Jennifer Crumbley seemingly making light of her son being caught searching the Internet for ammunition while at school
• No indications the Crumbley parents made efforts to seek mental health help for their son after reportedly directed to do so by school personnel, a couple hours before the shooting. The meeting with school personnel ended after 11 minutes.
On cross examination, defense attorney Shannon Smith worked to create doubt over Wagrowski’s assertions that support the prosecution’s “gross negligence” theory, revisiting many of the messages that were examined.
Smith said there was no way of knowing what conversations Jennifer Crumbley may have had with her son in-person about what was troubling him. She also noted Jennifer Crumbley did show concern for her son, telling James Crumbley in a March 2021 text message that she was “freaking out” thinking he was late coming home from school, admonishing her husband for not picking him up, and worried because the teen had been upset from the night before and she didn’t want him to “do anything stupid.” Wagrowski said that particular text message thread did appear to indicate Jennifer Crumbley was “very excited” at that point.
Smith raised more questions over Wagrowski’s testimony about Ethan Crumbley’s texts to what was described as his only friend — who was reportedly sent out-of-state a few weeks before the school shooting for mental health treatment. She revisited Wagrowski’s earlier testimony about Ethan Crumbley’s texts to the friend about his mental and physical problems — claiming his parents had just “given him pills” and told him to “suck it up.” Smith noted that no evidence has been presented to show Ethan Crumbley ever asked his parents for such help or that they were aware of the text thread with his friend about those struggles.
Video timeline, active shooter alert received
As part of his testimony, Wagrowski also created a video timeline of the shooter’s path when he carried out the four murders and injured seven others by gunfire on Nov. 30, 2021 at Oxford High School, which he presented in court as part of his testimony (see related story).
Also shared with the jury: Data evidence of Jennifer and James Crumbley’s responses after they became aware of the school shooting. James Crumbley received an active shooter alert from the school at 1:09 p.m. that day and initially headed to the Meijer store where the Oxford students were to be picked up. He then called Jennifer Crumbley and returned home moments later where he discovered a handgun and ammunition were missing. Suspecting his son was the shooter, he called 911.
In cell phone records shared by Wagrowski, Jennifer and James Crumbley had a 10-minute telephone conversation once learning of the shooting. Jennifer Crumbley sent a text message to her son, saying “Don’t do it” — which Smith said was over concerns that the teen was going to kill himself. Jennifer Crumbley also texted her work supervisor, telling him she needed to keep her job — and pleading with him not to judge her for her son’s actions.
At around 2 p.m., Jennifer and James Crumbley showed up at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office substation where their son was in custody. The couple reportedly returned home 30 minutes later.
Trial continues Monday.