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Teen in Michigan school shooting waives key hearing, parents lose bid to reduce bail

The teen is accused of murder and other federal crimes. Michigan prosecutors must usually show probable cause to prosecute felony cases before they can go to trial.

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — A judge has denied a request to lower a $500,000 bail set for two parents who are charged with their son in a fatal Michigan school shooting.

Judge Julie Nicholson said James and Jennifer Crumbley failed to turn themselves in when they were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Dec. 3 and have few ties to the area.

The Crumbleys have been in jail since Dec. 4 and unable to post their bond. They are charged in a shooting that killed four students at Oxford High School on Nov. 30.

They’re accused of making a gun accessible to their son, Ethan Crumbley, and failing to intervene on the day of the shooting when counselors revealed his distressing drawings of violence.

Ethan is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes. Earlier Friday, the 15-year-old waived his right to a key evidentiary hearing and moved his case to the trial court in Oakland County.

Prosecutors in Michigan typically have to present some evidence to show there's probable cause to send people to trial on felony charges, a low bar. Ethan Crumbley waived his right to go through that stage.

Crumbley, 15, is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes. Four students were killed and others were injured during a shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30.

Credit: Oakland County Sheriff's Office
Ethan Crumbley, 15, is accused of shooting up Oxford High School on Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Crumbley's court hearing lasted less than 10 minutes. 

Oxford High students are expected to return to school next week for the first time since the shooting but at a different building. The high school, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit, could reopen during the week of Jan. 23.

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