Parents of alleged Mich. school shooter denied bail reduction

April 20, 2022 Amber Coakley US 0

Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a teenager accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School, appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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UPDATED 9:11 AM PT – Wednesday, April 20, 2022

A Michigan judge denied the parents of Ethan Crumbley their request to have their bonds reduced from $500,000 to $100,000. Crumbley’s parents have been charged with involuntary manslaughter after their son allegedly carried out a mass shooting at his high school. The couple’s attorney filed a request to have their bonds reduced after the pair were arrested in Detroit last year.

“The defendants’ own actions leading up to their arrest make the current bond appropriate,” stated Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews. “Therefore, I am denying defendants’ motion to reduce the bond.”

Additionally, Judge Matthews determined that the couple’s actions after the deadly shooting was a premeditated attempt to conceal their location from law enforcement. The pair were found to have fled their home in the aftermath of the incident when local authorities issued a warrant for their arrest.

“Upon a warrant being issued, law enforcement is not required to make an appointment with a defendant,” noted the judge. “It is the job of the police to ensure a swift, safe and secure arrest. And this court believes that would have happened but for the defendants’ actions. The defendants’ actions were premeditated to conceal their whereabouts.”

In the meantime, Judge Matthews has scheduled the two for a jury trial later this year in October.

“Some of the judges in the courthouse are trying cases where individuals have been in jail 700 days and that would not be my intent if your matter goes to trial,” she explained. “I would give you the speediest trial possible. However, if there’s a mistrial because of some conflict that during a trial, we’d be back at square one so I want to avoid all that.”

The couple’s attorney has indicated they will be filing an appeal in order to have their bonds reduced and to request for a change in venue for their trial. They will also be filing other motions related to medical records and other pieces of evidence.