The Michigan Supreme Court sent the involuntary manslaughter case of the parents of accused Oxford High shooter Ethan Crumbley back to a lower court to consider whether there was sufficient evidence for James and Jennifer Crumbley to stand trial, Detroit News reports. The Michigan Court of Appeals in September rejected the appeal by attorneys for James and Jennifer Crumbley that requested a stay on their case and urged that some evidence, including their son’s journals and text messages, be considered inadmissible in the case against them in Oakland County Circuit Court. “This is a big deal because, in theory, the Court of Appeals could dismiss the entire case if they feel there is not enough evidence that the parents’ conduct caused the deaths of the Oxford students,” defense lawyer Wade Fink said.
Tuesday's order, filed a day before the one-year anniversary of the Oxford school massacre that killed four high school students, will delay the parents' trial in January. Justice Richard Bernstein dissented, citing “needless delay” of the parents’ case and upcoming trial. The parents each face four involuntary manslaughter charges connected to the deaths of four Oxford High students: Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17. Their son pleaded guilty in October to their deaths.