Was the father of Ethan Crumbley trying to drown out his son’s confession about the Oxford shooting by repeatedly telling him “I love you,” increasing in volume, during their brief encounter at a sheriff’s substation — about an hour after the teen opened fire inside his high school, murdering four teens and injuring seven others?
That’s what assistant prosecutor Marc Keast suggested Friday, after the jury for James Crumbley’s manslaughter trial viewed a video of the Crumbley parents’ interview with detectives, soon after their son was taken into custody for the Nov. 30, 2021 mass shooting. Oakland County Sheriff Det. Sgt. Joe Brian, one of the interviewers, was testifying for the prosecution when the video was shown.
Yet defense attorney Mariell Lehman wants jurors to see James Crumbley as a distraught and bewildered father who was expressing a genuine sentiment, concerned for the child he told law enforcement was “a perfect kid (who) doesn’t do anything” and didn’t get into trouble at school.
During the interview, while his wife, Jennifer Crumbley says they need a lawyer for their son, James Crumbley says it’s OK to talk to police — and readily answers questions. He tells them about where he’d stored the missing handgun — in a case hidden in an armoire — and that the bullets were hidden in “a completely different spot, underneath some jeans.”
He spoke of racing home after hearing about the school shooting and then calling 911. He spoke of his son’s only friend being taken out of state recently, the recent loss of the family dog and the death of his son’s grandmother months earlier. He spoke of his and his son’s shared time at the gun range, his son’s “mediocre” grades at school and that a failing grade in geometry had led to a family fight the night before – but in the morning the teen seemed fine. And he spoke of the math worksheet that his son had added violent drawings and disturbing phrases to, confiscated by a teacher that morning and prompting a parent meeting right away at the school.
In the video, which was also shown during Jennifer Crumbley’s manslaughter trial a few weeks ago, James Crumbley sobs after seeing his son in handcuffs and asks about what’s next for him. Then he can be heard saying “I love you” to his son, over and over again.
In testifying about the interview, Brian said James Crumbley did appear to be concerned about his son’s safety and wellbeing. But he also said the I love yous were spoken while Ethan Crumbley told his mother, “I did it,” and that James Crumbley’s voice got louder and louder while doing so.
Other Friday testimony
Prior to Brian testifying Friday, cell phone forensic analyst Ed Wagrowski was back on the stand for cross examination as the morning’s first witness. On Thursday, Wagrowski testified about the Crumbleys’ phone records, Instagram and Facebook and emails, as well as school surveillance video of the shooting which he had compiled and examined as part of the investigation. On cross examination, Lehman pressed Wagrowski about some of the texts and social media posts he testified about the day before, asking if he had any proof James Crumbley was aware that his son was posting photos and videos of the handgun, or if he had heard him loading it — as seen in the video.
Wagrowski testified that while GPS from phone records show James Crumbley was home at the time, he couldn’t say if James Crumbley knew about the social media posts or if he heard his son loading the gun as seen in the video — despite GPS phone records showing he was home at the time.
Lehman also questioned Wagrowski about texts Ethan Crumbley had sent to his friend several months before the shooting about experiencing hallucinations, paranoia and other issues — and that he needed help. He also said that his father had told him to “suck it up” and gave him some pills. When asked, Wagrowski said he couldn’t say what those pills were, what doctor Ethan Crumbley purportedly wanted to see and whether or not the teen was being honest in the texts.
Regarding a video Ethan Crumbley shared with his friend — showing him with a handgun that he said his father had left out — Lehman also questioned whether that was determined to be true, and Wagrowski said he “didn’t know if it’s true, but I don’t know why he would lie.”
Jurors also heard from Oakland County crime scene specialist Robert Koteles, who testified about crime scene photos, and collecting the 9mm Sig Sauer handgun Ethan Crumbley used in the mass shooting as well as 31 casings from the 32 bullets he had fired. Koteles said 18 unfired bullets were also recovered.
‘Eyes on the shooter’
Also called to the stand Friday was Cammy Back, manager of the gun store where James Crumbley purchased the handgun used in the school shooting. His son was with him at the time, she said. James Crumbley was a known customer who came in on Nov. 26, 2021 knowing precisely what firearm he wanted to buy. It was sold with a cable lock, as required, she said.
Back also testified that she had no reason to believe James Crumbley was purchasing the gun for anyone else — which is illegal to do.
The final witness of the day was Kristy Gibson-Marshall, Oxford High School assistant principal, who said she followed the sound of gunshots despite being on lockdown — and spotted a student, lying gravely wounded on the hallway floor. She then saw another student approaching, armed with a gun, and soon recognized him. She notified the school office that she “had eyes on the shooter,” she said.
Gibson-Marshall said she couldn’t picture Ethan Crumbley being the shooter, as she’d known him for years and always considered him to be “a sweet kid.”
As Ethan Crumbley passed by, Gibson-Marshall said she walked a few steps with him, asking if he was OK. But he looked away and kept walking, without saying anything. She then turned her attention back to the injured student, she said.
Lehman declined to cross-exam Gibson Marshall.
What’s next
Friday’s court proceedings wrapped up mid-afternoon — earlier than expected — with the judge explaining that the trial is ahead of schedule. She anticipates testimony could be completed by next Wednesday. So far, all the prosecution’s witnesses called to the stand in James Crumbley’s trial had testified in Jennifer Crumbley’s trial several weeks ago.
Once the case goes into deliberations, jurors will decide if James Crumbley bears some responsibility for the four murders his son committed. Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of the same four involuntary manslaughter charges last month and is awaiting sentencing. Ethan Crumbley is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to 24 charges in 2022, though his attorneys indicate an appeal is being planned.