OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – After being the first parent convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter is asking a judge for an appeal bond while serving her 10-year sentence.
Did the mother have a duty to protect the victims of the school shooting?
In February, a jury deliberated and said yes.
However, her new lawyer believes she should’ve never been tried in the first place based on that legal argument for the actions of her son.
In a statement to Local 4, her team wrote in part:
“Mrs. Crumbley has committed no crime, has never harmed anyone, and is certainly not a flight risk so there is no reason to deny her right to freedom while an overreaching prosecution attempts to pin the failings of a nation on the [backs of parents],” said Michael R. Dezsi, an appellate attorney.
He also blasted Oakland County prosecutors for orchestrating secret agreements with key witnesses, which the office has denied.
David Williams, a chief assistant prosecutor, has repeatedly said Jennifer Crumbley was tried for her actions and inactions leading to the Oxford High School shooting.
“The legal issues raised by Jennifer Crumbley have already been heard and rejected by the Michigan Court of Appeals,” Williams said in a released statement. “She should remain in prison serving her sentence while this matter proceeds through the appellate courts.”
A retired judge and practicing defense attorney said it’s rare for a judge to approve an appeal bond.
“It’s called a shotgun effect,” she said. “We’re going to put everything out there and see what sticks. That’s what you do, and you get one opportunity to really, really do it well for it to make a difference, so you want to bring out everything.”
Recently, a judge also denied the school shooter’s motion to withdraw his plea and motion for resentencing.
