OXFORD, Mich. – Jennifer Crumbley’s extramarital affair with a witness at her involuntary manslaughter trial is now fair game to be brought up in court after a heated exchange between attorneys.
Judge Cheryl Matthews had previously ruled that Crumbley’s affair was inadmissible during the trial, but on Wednesday -- the fifth day of the trial -- a line of questioning from defense attorney Shannon Smith changed that ruling.
During her cross examination, Smith pointed out that Brian Meloche, a friend of Jennifer Crumbley’s from high school, had three separate interviews with police about the Crumbleys, and Smith said his statements changed over the course of the three interviews.
Smith suggested that Meloche’s opinion on Jennifer Crumbley had changed because he felt that he was being intimidated by officers. Meloche would later tell the judge that he perceived “veiled threats” from his interviewed.
“They threatened him about his job, his pension,” Smith said of police interviewing Meloche.
Meloche said he worried that the extramarital relationship would become public if he said things that helped the Crumbleys in those interviews.
Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast objected during this line of questioning and said Smith was very close to opening the door to topics that had been deemed inadmissible.
Smith responded that she was happy to open that door.
“I would like the door to be opened,” Smith said. “I would like to fully question this witness.”
Matthews dismissed the jury from the room, and both sides got into a heated exchange over Smith’s cross examination. Keast said Smith was implying that authorities intimidated a witness. He said he would need to use some of the information that was previously inadmissible during his redirect questioning.
The judge agreed that Smith had opened that door. Matthews asked Jennifer Crumbley if she was OK with her lawyer deciding to admit information about the affair.
“I want to make sure you understand what your lawyer said,” Matthews said.
“I trust her, so yes,” Jennifer Crumbley said. She was saying on the record that she supported Smith’s decision to put information about that affair on the record.
Keast said the officers who are being accused of intimidating the witness should now be allowed to testify later in the trial.
When the jury returned to the room, Meloche was asked about the extramarital affair. He said he admitted to police from the very first interview that they had had an extramarital affair. He also told them that the relationship was sexual.
Click here to follow along with all the updates from today’s proceedings.
