OXFORD, Mich. – A student who was injured in the Oxford High School shooting will be allowed to testify in the James Crumbley trial.
Prosecutors asked Judge Cheryl A. Matthews on Feb. 21, 2024, to let them call two students to the stand during the trial, saying those students could provide relevant information about what happened inside the school on Nov. 30, 2021.
Matthews ruled Thursday that one of the students can testify. The prosecution will be allowed to choose which student.
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Crumbley’s defense objected to the prosecution’s additions to their witness list, claiming student testimony would only serve to “inflame the emotions” of the jury and prejudice them against Crumbley, the shooter’s father.
Crumbley is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter -- one for each of the students who were killed by his son that day.
During the trial for Crumbley’s wife -- who was found guilty by a jury after seven days of testimony and two days of deliberation -- prosecutors called school officials who witnessed the shooting to describe what happened.
Prosecutors argue that since the charges against the shooter’s parents stem from the shooting, they should be allowed to set the scene. Crumbley’s defense argued on Feb. 21 that the students’ testimony would be redundant.
Prosecutors said the two students can testify about what happened as the shooter emerged from the school restroom. Surveillance video of the shooting provides some context, but eyewitnesses can add to that picture, they argued.
Matthews decided that testimony from one of the students would not be “needlessly cumulative,” “a waste of time,” or “unduly prejudicial.”
Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast said during the Feb. 21 hearing that both students are now over 18 years old, although they were minors at the time of the shooting.
Jury selection for Crumbley is scheduled to begin Tuesday, March 5.
