James Crumbley's gun safe set to default code 000 as police searched home
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - The trial of James Crumbley resumed Tuesday morning with an Oakland County Detective taking the stand and testifying about what was found inside the family home when they searched it in the hours after the Oxford High School shooting.
Detective Adam Stoyek was called to testify just after 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday as court returned for the fourth day of testimony. He was one of the first law enforcement officers inside the home at 112 East Street in Oxford after James Crumbley's son shot and killed four students inside the school.
During his testimony, Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast questioned Stoyek about what was found during the execution of the search warrant.
As James and Jennifer Crumbley were out of the home, Stoyek returned to discuss with James Crumbley the guns that were inside the home and asked him about where they were located. James told Stoyek he was willing to tell him what they needed to know.
"I am completely open and I want you guys to do what you have to do," James Crumbley said.
He then described the locations of the guns – including a BB gun that looked like an AR-style weapon – where they would be found. Two of the guns were inside a gun case which James Crumbley said was locked with a combination code on it. He told Stoyek the code was 0-0-0-0 – four zeroes – but when Stoyek ultimately opened the case, it was a combo code of 0-0-0 – three zeroes.
"Inside of the safe, there was a 22 KelTec handgun and a 22 Derringer, which is like a single shot. And that gun was inside of the safe and it was opened up," Stoyek said.
Defense attorney Mariell Lehman would later point out that James was compliant with the investigation and willing to state specifically where the weapons were in the home – including BB guns.
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He said the safe had the combination of three zeroes – which is the default combination used by the manufacturer.
As police continued searching the home, they found multiple silhouettes from gun ranges hanging – including several in the shooter's bedroom. They also discovered an open and empty gun box of 9 MM ammunition on the bed of James and Jennifer Crumbley.
"You'd walk into the master bedroom and you'll see our pictures here. But to your immediate right, the master bedroom was a bed and right when we walked in and this was the first thing you could see was the open gun box. That box next to it was an empty box of 9MM ammunition. And this is exactly how we saw it when we did the initial search of the house. And then when we came back in once the search warrant was the end of -- this is how it was when we came in."
The empty gun box that held a 9MM SIG Sauer handgun found in James Crumbleys home. The gun was used by his son, the Oxford High School shooter, on Nov. 30, 2021.
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Stoyek walked through dozens of photos from the house which included the BB gun James Crumbley had referenced, several spent shell casings next to the shooter's bed, an empty bottle of whiskey next to a bed, several knives, and the gun safe with the code 0-0-0.
He confirmed he used the code of three zeroes to open up the safe and found the KelTec and Derringer inside.
In the kitchen, they found an empty black gun box with a cable lock inside it. The cable lock was still inside of a zipped plastic bag with its keys inside.
The KelTec box found inside James Crumbley's home contained no guns but did hold a cable lock inside of a plastic bag.
Aside from the safe and the gun lock, Stoyek said there were no other gun-locking mechanisms inside the home.
In the Crumbley parents bedroom, they found the gun safe on a shelf and a box of ammunition on the same shelf.
Under cross-examination, Stoyek was asked by Lehman brought into question that possibly there were other locks inside the home.
Lehman was bringing into question if there were locks in the home before they arrived to search the house.
"It's fair to say you have no knowledge of what was in that house prior to your arrival at approximately 250 on November 30th of 2021?" she asked.
"Yeah. I can only speak to what I saw when I went inside the residence and I don't know what was there prior," he said.
"You can't say whether or not there were any additional locking mechanisms in the house that morning is that fair? You have no knowledge of that," Lehman said.
"Yeah, I can only speak to what I saw and what I found. I don't know what was there prior," Stoyek said.
Lehman then moved on in her questioning to other material found in the home – including video games and the Crumbley parents' cell phones.
The questioning comes one day after the prosecution discussed the three guns that James Crumbley owned.
- Cobra Derringer Classic
- KelTec P17
- SIG Sauer
The Derringer and the KelTec were purchased in June 2021, ATF agent Brett Brandon said on Monday. The SIG Sauer, the one ultimately used in the Oxford High School shooting, was purchased in November 2021 just four days before the tragedy.
What is James Crumbley charged with?
James Crumbley is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count for each student killed by his son at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.
A jury found his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, guilty of the same charges in early February. She will be sentenced on April 9.
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.
James Crumbley's trial so far
Read recaps of each day of testimony below: