PONTIAC, Mich. — The father of the teenager who fatally shot four students at his Michigan high school had his jail communication privileges limited because he made "threatening statements," authorities said Thursday.
James Crumbley, 47, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the killings his son carried out at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit in 2021.
Crumbley's jail phone and electronic messages have "been limited due to threatening statements he made while on the phone and in electronic messages," the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said. A spokesperson did not provide more details about whom the alleged statements were made toward.
A court order signed Thursday by the judge overseeing his trial stipulates that Crumbley's communications are now revoked, except for with his lawyer or legitimate clergy or for using his tablet for research.
Ethan Crumbley, then 15, opened fire on Nov. 30, 2021, with a 9 mm handgun that his father bought four days earlier.
Prosecutors allege Crumbley gave his son the semi-automatic Sig Sauer handgun as a gift and failed to properly secure it or intervene to stop his son from committing the murders.
Oakland County prosecutor Marc Keast told jurors that Crumbley bought his son a gun “even though he knew that his son was in the midst of total and complete social isolation and had been in a downward spiral of distress.”
Crumbley’s attorney said in court Thursday that he did not know his son posed any danger or that he had access to the gun.
The information about his alleged threats and new restrictions comes after a prosecutor wanted to discuss an unspecified issue in open court late Thursday after the jury was dismissed for the day.
Crumbley’s defense attorney objected to discussing it in front of the media, and she briefly left the court to speak with the prosecutor. When they returned, they informed the judge they’d reached an agreement about revoking Crumbley’s jail communications, but would allow him to continue conducting research, read and gather information so he is able to participate in his defense.
The prosecution said in court that restrictions can expire after a verdict is reached because "once there's a verdict, a lot of the issues just fall away."
Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, were charged separately with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with their son's killings, in rare criminal cases that seek to hold the parents responsible for a school shooting.
Jennifer Crumbley, 45, was found guilty on all counts last month and will be sentenced in April. She faces up to 15 years in prison on each count, as would her husband if he is convicted.
Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty in October 2022 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Selina Guevara reported from Pontiac and Phil Helsel from Los Angeles.
