Judge denies accused Michigan school shooter's parents' motion for a lower bond, citing concerns that they tried to flee from police

• A judge denied a motion for the parents of a suspected Michigan school shooter to receive a lower bond.
• James and Jennifer Crumbley have been in jail since December 4, 2021 on a $500,000 bond each.

A Michigan circuit court judge denied James and Jennifer Crumbley's motion to reduce their $500,000 bond for manslaughter charges in a pretrial hearing on Tuesday.

James and Jennifer Crumbley are both charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan that occurred on November 30, 2021, which left four students dead. Prosecutors accused the Crumbleys of giving their 15-year-old son easy access to a firearm and failing to address concerns regarding his mental health.

Both parents have been held in a Michigan jail since December 4 on a $500,000 bond. Police arrested the couple in Detroit after they failed to appear for a court appearance, resulting in a manhunt by law enforcement for the rest of the day.

Both parents face up to 60 years in prison and $30,000 in fines if convicted.

On Tuesday, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews denied the Crumbleys' request for a lower bond. In their motion for bond reduction, the Crumbleys argued that they fled to Detroit because they were being hounded by the press in the aftermath of the shooting.

Judge Matthews denied the request on the grounds that she was concerned the couple would become a flight risk if they were released from jail based on their prior behavior.

"Upon a warrant being issued, law enforcement is not required to make an appointment with the defendant," Matthews said in court. "It is the job of the police to ensure a swift, safe and secure arrest, and this court believes that would have happened but for the defendants' actions."

Matthews said that the Crumbleys took "premeditated" actions to conceal their whereabouts from law enforcement and that their own actions make their current bond appropriate.

Later in the hearing, Judge Matthews proposed a potential trial date of October 24, which a defense attorney for the Crumbleys said they would agree to. Still, the court has not set an official date for the trial.

Judge Matthews also denied a second motion from James Crumbley to be moved to a different jail unit on the grounds that he had been in the same unit since his arrest. The judge cited "separation of power" and said that she does not have the legal authority to direct the jail to rehouse him.

Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a press conference after the hearing that the state is happy the judge decided not to give the Crumbleys a lower bond and that the claim that they weren't attempting to flee is "not credible."

"I don't think there's a lawyer jurist or member of the public that thinks that was not an attempt to flee," McDonald said at the news conference. "It absolutely was."