OXFORD, Mich. – A gun safe storing two handguns in James Crumbley’s home was locked with the default code of zero, zero, zero, a detective testified Tuesday at Crumbley’s trial.
Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter, is on trial this month for four involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the Nov. 30, 2021, massacre carried out by his son. The then-15-year-old shooter used one of the family’s three handguns to kill four students and injure seven other people.
Where and how those guns were stored is important to the prosecution’s case, and took center stage at day four of Crumbley’s trial on Tuesday, March 12. James Crumbley’s wife accused him of being the adult responsible for handling, locking and hiding the firearms in their home at her trial earlier this year.
She was found guilty of the same four involuntary manslaughter charges in February.
A detective who searched the family’s Oxford Township home testified Tuesday at Crumbley’s trial. A police car video was played for the jury that showed a conversation between Crumbley and Oakland County Detective Adam Stoyek before a search warrant was executed at the house. You can watch that video down below.
Stoyek said Crumbley was cooperative during that conversation. When asked about firearms in the home, Crumbley could be heard describing the locked gun safe in his bedroom that contained two handguns. Crumbley also said there was a BB gun that looked like an assault rifle in his son’s bedroom.
When asked for the combination to the locked gun safe, Crumbley said, “zero, zero, zero, zero,” distinguishing each number and clarifying there were four zeros total. Crumbley also told the detective he was “completely open” and wanted law enforcement to do what they “have to do.”
Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast asked Stoyek about the combination in court -- here’s what was said:
- Keast: In this interview with James Crumbley in the back of the car, he told you the combination code was zero, zero, zero, zero -- four zeros, is that right?
- Stoyek: Correct.
- Keast: Did you subsequently recover that safe?
- Stoyek: I did.
- Keast: Was it four zeros or three zeros?
- Stoyek: It was three zeros.
- Keast: Did you come to learn what the default code is for that safe?
- Stoyek: Yeah, zero, zero, zero.
Underneath that gun safe -- which was located in a dresser cabinet in the parents’ bedroom -- authorities found two empty magazines, ammunition, and a gun holster, Stoyek said. Inside the gun safe were two handguns: a KelTec P-17 pistol, and a Cobra Derringer Classic. Neither of those guns were the one used in the Oxford shooting.
The Oxford shooter used a 9mm handgun purchased by James Crumbley just days before the mass killing. Prosecutors have long alleged that Crumbley bought the gun specifically as a gift for his son, who had “begged’ for a 9mm.
The gun case for the 9mm Sig Sauer gun was located on the bed in the shooter’s parents’ bedroom, in addition to an empty box of ammunition. It’s believed the case may have been placed there by Crumbley himself, who called 911 from home on the day of the shooting and said he was freaking out because that gun was missing, and he didn’t know if his son took it.
It’s still unknown where exactly the plastic case for the 9mm handgun was stored in the home, or if it was secured. The Sig Sauer was sold with a cable lock, according to court testimony, but it’s unknown if the lock was used. That lock required a key to open, and Jennifer Crumbley -- the shooter’s mother -- said the key was hidden in a beer stein in the home.
Jennifer Crumbley also said it was her husband’s responsibility to hide that key, and that she didn’t know where exactly it was.
---> Mother of Oxford shooter points finger at husband for gun storage, texts to lawyer
Prosecutors have indicated they believe the plastic case for the 9mm was not secured. Assistant Prosecutor Keast sought to prove that point Tuesday through Detective Stoyek.
- Keast: Did James ever once tell you that the Sig Sauer 9mm used to commit the Oxford High School shooting was ever locked up?
- Stoyek: He did not.
- Keast: Nothing further.
---> Defense implies James Crumbley wasn’t legally required to lock gun used in Oxford shooting
Video: James Crumbley’s conversation with Stoyek
The following video of James Crumbley talking with Detective Stoyek was played in court on Tuesday. The video was recorded after the Oxford shooting, and as law enforcement were waiting for authorization to search Crumbley’s house.
The shooter’s parents were not allowed in the home before or during the search. They were initially placed in the back seat of a police vehicle, but were allowed to leave and return home once the search was over. The video conversation below occurred before the parents left due to the search.
Follow along with our real-time trial coverage here.