James and Jennifer Crumbley were looking forward to getting their bonds lowered to $500,000 each, but a judge has denied both requests.
The couple is the parents of Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old son accused of killing four of his peers at Oxford High School in Michigan.
The Crumbley’s attorney, Mariell Lehman, argued for the couple and told the judge that both had agreed to wear ankle monitors, Complex reported.
In December, the parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter after Ethan allegedly opened fire at the high school.
District Court Judge Julie Nicholson supported her ruling because the Crumbleys failed to turn themselves, the enormity of their crimes and because they have family in Florida, which could mean they could flee again.
Defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Lehman also argued against Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who claims James and Jennifer Crumbley ignored their son’s needs.
The defense argued that it would be a challenge for McDonald to prove there was gross negligence on the parents’ part.
The Crumbleys have also been accused of buying the gun their son allegedly used in the shooting.
“In Ethan’s journal, which was provided in discovery, he explicitly states that he has to find where his dad hid the firearm,” Lehman said. “That statement, from Ethan Crumbley in his own words, is kind of contrary to the false and misleading assertions that have been made by the prosecution, in this case, the assertions that the firearm was freely accessible.”
In that late December filing, it also deemed the couple to be at “a greater risk of flight,” and Mcdonald backed up those claims by describing how the Crumbley’s circumstances were skeptical as they allegedly have few connections in Michigan, cleaned out Ethan’s bank account, and attempted to evade authorities in Detroit.
“These are not the actions of people who are trying to turn themselves in,” McDonald said. James and Jennifer pled not guilty to their charges, as did Ethan, who’s been hit with murder and terrorism charges.
