The parents of the Michigan teen accused of a deadly shooting at his Oxford high school have pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges Saturday.
Ethan Crumbley, 15, used the gun his parents allegedly bought him as an early Christmas present to shoot and kill four of his schoolmates and wounding seven others.
Karen McDonald, the county prosecutor, announced the charges against James and Jennifer Crumbley on Friday. They were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The Crumbley’s were reportedly supposed to turn themselves in on Friday but failed to do so. After an hours-long search, the fugitives were arrested at a commercial building in Detroit, about 50 miles from their home.
Appearing in court via video conference and in separate rooms, the couple pleaded not guilty. Both spoke very little, aside from acknowledging they understood their charges and pleading not guilty. Jennifer Crumbley was emotional during the appearance and was tearful while speaking.
“It’s… clear from the facts that (Ethan Crumbley) had total access to this weapon,” McDonald said during the arraignment, and that the parents “didn’t secure (the gun) and they allowed him free access to it.” But the Crumbley’s deny their son was able to freely use the weapon. Shannon Smith, an attorney for the couple, said, “the gun was actually locked.”
A judge set the Crumbley’s bond at $500,000 each. If they post bond, they will be required to wear GPS monitors. The couple’s next court appearance is on December 14.
Ethan Crumbley was charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder, terrorism, and seven counts of assault. He was denied bail, and his next scheduled court appearance is on December 13.
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