James Crumbley Trial: Jury selection continues in trial of Oxford shooter's father
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - Prosecutors and James Crumbley's defense settled on a jury Wednesday afternoon. Six men and nine women make up the bench. Read more about them here.
The father of the Oxford High School shooter is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. But before prosecutors can present their case, 12 jurors must be selected.
His wife, Jennifer Crumbley, was found guilty of the same charges during a jury trial in early February. James's trial will have some similarities to her case, though how prosecutors approach unveiling evidence may come with some differences.
2:50 p.m. - Jury is seated
A jury was seated by mid-afternoon Wednesday. It took a day-and-a-half - about the same time it took to seat a jury in Jennifer's trial.
2:40 p.m. - Graphic designer who hunts
One of the last peremptory challenges was used on one of the younger people on the bench.
They were replaced by someone who works as a graphic designer who says they like to hunt. They keep a rifle and shotgun in the house in the closet. If a minor was in the home, they would secure the weapons.
1:56 p.m. - Nurse practitioner called to bench
Replacing the individual who said they couldn't be impartial, the next person selected for the bench works as a nurse practitioner.
They have only a little knowledge of the case, but have a strong understanding of how firearms should be stored in a home.
The defense used their next peremptory challenge on someone whose number was called to the bench since the beginning of selection.
They were replaced by an elementary teacher by trade who has two kids. They don't know much about the case.
1:42 p.m. - Prosecution dismisses another juror
The prosecution used their fourth peremptory challenge. Someone who works in IT filled the seat.
The individual expressed some harsh feelings towards gun owners who are parents and are irresponsible towards how they secure their firearms.
They also said they paid attention to the testimony of Jennifer Crumbley during her trial and believed she showed a lack of remorse.
A judge dismissed them over their inability to be impartial.
1:26 p.m. - Jury selection resumes
The newly-selected juror was dismissed immediately after he said he believed the charges were brought "based on a mob."
The next person who was called lives in a home with several guns that are safely stored. She said she hasn't been following the case or any related cases at all.
Both legal teams used some of their peremptory challenges, but still had some to exercise when lunch was over.
12:03 p.m. - Judge calls lunch
The defense requested the dismissal of one of the people called to the bench today.
A judge called for lunch shortly after seating the next person.
11:44 a.m. - Another juror excused
A judge dismissed one of the people for cause after they expressed concern about rendering a verdict.
Two new members on the bench include someone who works in waste collection and someone who works in banking. Neither followed the case much. One said they came from a broken home, but had some experience with firearms when they were younger.
The other believes they could be impartial. The defense asked them questions about some of the hypothetical situations that she's focused on in the past.
11:11 a.m. - Session resumes + brief dismissal
One juror was dismissed as soon as they were called up for a prior conflict.
The next juror has read a lot about the trial and believes they may not be the best person to serve on a jury. They said one of their kids has nightmares about school shootings.
The individual later answered a question that they could not be fair, prompting a dismissal from the judge.
When the next person was called up, a judge noted a concern from another person already on the bench that they feared the emotional response from people they knew might persuade how they viewed the case.
10:44 a.m. - Prosecution excuses another juror
The prosecution used its third strike, dismissing a juror that went up to the bench on Tuesday.
That followed a discussion with one of the younger jurors who was called to the bench and interviewed. They said they didn't know if they could be fair or impartial because sometimes issues get personal for him.
A judge called a short break after that.
10:22 a.m. - Defense excuses another juror
The defense exercised their second strike, dismissing a woman from the bench.
They were replaced by a 25-year-old who does some technical support as a job. Before then, they worked as a technician for a mortgage company.
They have a certificate in audio engineering. They didn't have many thoughts on the case or owning a gun.
9:55 a.m. - Prosecution excuses one juror
Another juror was excused by the prosecution, their second strike of selection. The person who left was a parent who worked, had guns in the home, and had experiences with someone with mental health.
They were replaced by someone who used to work as a registered nurse who worked at a specialty pharmacy. They have no kids but did do a lot of parenting for their sibling's kids.
They served in several roles as a nurse, including in the emergency room at a hospital in Detroit.
They also don't have any guns in their house, but don't have issues with it. However, they do have experience shooting when they were younger as a hobby.
Their brothers would go shooting during hunting season.
Their sister had also admitted themselves into a mental hospital for depression.
9:39 a.m. - Defense excuses one juror
The defense used their first strike against a potential juror who worked as a teacher in Oakland County.
They were replaced by someone who works in marketing at a real estate company. He said he watched the verdict of the previous trial.
9:23 a.m. - Jury enters court
9:11 a.m. - Court is in session
Both the defendant, James, and Judge Cheryl Matthews entered court just after 9 a.m.
Court is in session with the first topic being the questionnaire that potential jurors looked at before being called up to the courtroom.
Jury selection Day 1
There were some familiar themes on the first day of jury selection, with potential jurors' opinions on guns, their media consumption, and law enforcement brought up by both legal teams.
But there was also more emphasis on mental health during James' jury selection than when prosecutors selected jurors during Jennifer Crumbley's trial.
It could indicate how Karen McDonald and Marc Keast proceed during the trial.
On the defense's side, Attorney Mariell Lehman pried into each individual's understanding of access and what that meant to them.
Access to firearms will play a major role in the trial, as it did during Jennifer's trial.
The judge said at the end of the first day of jury selection that she thought things were going well and could have 12 people seated by the end of the day.
She even mentioned that opening arguments could begin in the afternoon.
However, both legal teams only exercised one of their strikes after McDonald asked for one person to be excused. More strikes could come today.
What did James Crumbley do?
James Crumbley is accused of buying his son the gun used to kill four people and injure others.
His son pleaded guilty to all charges against him and is now in prison. During his plea hearing he admitted that he gave James the money to buy the gun.
During Jennifer's trial, she testified that the gun was her husband's responsibility; she said she was not comfortable with guns and was not involved in handling or buying it. She also testified that James had hidden the gun before their son took it to school.
The parents are also accused of ignoring concerns about their son's mental health.
Witnesses called by the prosecution during Jennifer's trial described a meeting between the Crumbley parents and school officials the morning of the shooting. The parents were called after violent drawings were discovered on their son's schoolwork.
During this meeting, a school counselor told the parents to get their son mental health help as soon as possible and recommended that they take him home from school. However, the parents chose not to take him home.
What kind of sentence is James Crumbley facing?
Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by up to 15 years in prison in Michigan. The court does have the discretion to do consecutive sentencing, which, due to the four counts, would be 60 years. However, the maximum he could get will likely be 15 years.