Oxford Shooter's Dad Claims Unfair Prosecution, Ineffective Lawyer In Bid For New Trial

OXFORD, MI — Like his wife, James Crumbley, the father of the Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, wants a new trial nearly a year after he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Crumbley's lawyer, Alona Sharon, argues he did not get a fair trial because prosecutors did not share proffer agreements they signed with school officials for their testimony at his trial, CBS reports.

Sharon said that the school officials, former Oxford High School dean Nick Ejak and then-Oxford counselor Shawn Hopkins, would not have testified during Crumbley's trial without the proffer agreement.

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"Most of the remedies listed by the court rule cannot remedy the instant discovery violation because the prosecution concealed the proffer agreements until six days after Mr. Crumbley's conviction," Sharon said. "The prosecution's actions made it impossible for this Honorable Court to remedy the prosecution's willful violation of the court rule short of a new trial."

Prosecutors denied they offered any school officials immunity, though they did say anything Ejak and Hopkins said during their testimony would not be used against them if they are ever charged in connection with the deadly shooting.

Moreover, prosecutors said they weren't required to share the agreements and that Crumbley was convicted based on his actions, and not what Ejak and Hopkins said.

Sharon also argues that Crumbley had ineffective legal counsel and questioned whether the judge thoroughly analyzed the shooter's right to invoke the Fifth Amendment. She argues Ethan couldn't further incriminate himself since he had already pleaded guilty to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Detroit News reports.

Ethan Crumbley did not testify at either of his parents' trials.

Prosecutors argued that Crumbley, like his wife Jennifer, received a fair trial. They said the couple ignored disturbing warning signs from their son leading up to the shooting, and instead of getting him mental health help, they bought him a gun.

The Crumbleys were each convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for their role in the deadly shooting.

Their son was sentenced to life in prison for multiple charges, including murder and terrorism.

Like her husband, Jennifer has also appealed her conviction and wants a new trial.

The four students killed in the shooting were 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, 16-year-old Tate Myre, 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 17-year-old Justin Shilling.