OXFORD, Mich. – A jury has been seated, and the trial can now begin for James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter.
Crumbley is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter -- one for each of the students who was killed by his son during a No. 30, 2021, shooting inside the school.
📄 READ: Why I don’t expect James Crumbley’s trial to be a replay of his wife’s
Crumbley’s wife was found guilty of all four counts one month ago today, after a nine-day trial that included five days of testimony from prosecution witnesses, two days of Jennifer Crumbley on the stand, and two days of jury deliberation.
This week’s jury selection was a bit more difficult for both sides, as James Crumbley’s defense team worked to make sure jurors weren’t prejudiced by extensive coverage of his wife’s case.
Defense attorney Mariell Lehman requested that the trial be moved out of Oakland County, but Judge Cheryl A. Matthews denied that request, instead giving both sides extra peremptory challenges to dismiss jurors without cause.
Instead of the usual five dismissals without cause, the prosecution and the defense were both given eight. Lehman used seven of her eight challenges, while prosecutors used three.
It took nearly two full days, but the jury has officially been seated -- nine women and six men. Twelve of those jurors will be involved in the final deliberation, while the rest will serve as alternates. Nobody will know the alternates until Matthews randomly selects them once both sides have rested their cases.
To prove James Crumbley’s guilt, the prosecution must show that he was either grossly negligent or failed to perform a legal duty.
Prosecutors don’t have to prove both elements of involuntary manslaughter, but each juror must determine that they have proved at least one of them beyond a reasonable doubt. The jurors don’t all have to agree on which element was proven.
Just like in Jennifer Crumbley’s trial, the People will be represented by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast.
Jury selection recaps
If you want to read about what happened during jury selection, click the links below.
