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James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of alleged Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, are due to appear in court today for a preliminary exam.
Today's court hearing will present evidence and testimony from witnesses, providing a better picture of how the prosecution is hoping to build its case.
The hearing will be James and Jennifer Crumbley's first appearance together since the prosecution asked the court to stop them from communicating non-verbally during proceedings. They had been seen using hand signals and mouthing messages to each other.
In a statement, prosecutor Karen McDonald said their non-verbal communication was "a serious distraction" that was "traumatic for the family members" of the victims.
The pair have been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after their son Ethan allegedly killed four students and injured seven others during an attack on a Michigan High School on November 30, 2021.
They have both pleaded not guilty.
Their son Ethan has been charged with 24 counts after he allegedly took the lives of four of his fellow high school students. He has pleaded not guilty.
The hearing will be presided over by District Court Judge Julie Nicholson this morning at 8:30 ET.
What is a preliminary exam?
Preliminary exams take place when a prosecuting team presents a judge with evidence for the case, including witness testimonies, relevant documents and physical evidence.
These hearings are often used by defense teams to learn which evidence is being used by the prosecution and get a better idea of the witness testimonies.
Following the exam, the judge decides whether the suspects will go to trial and which evidence will be allowed.
The Crumbleys' defense team sought to delay today's preliminary exam claiming they didn't have enough time to prepare as they had received the evidence "piecemeal".
The defense team said they received 290 gigabytes of material, including 70 hours of video and audio recordings, 10 hours of interviews with potential witnesses, and 3,000 pages of material.
The last pieces of evidence were provided to them on January 27.
The prosecuting team have reduced their list of prospective witnesses to 30, including Oxford High School employees, five of Jennifer Crumbley's co-workers, and five people involved in the search on the Crumbley home.
The prosecution is also expected to present evidence including the fact that the Crumbleys gifted their son a handgun as a Christmas present in the past and failed to adequately keep it safely stowed away, as well as allegedly warning signs regarding his behavior.
Both James and Jennifer Crumbley are being held on a $500,000 bond. Their request to have the bond reduced to $100,000 was rejected. Ethan Crumbley is being held without bond.
The three are currently detained at the Oakland County Jail in different locations and without any contact between each other.
