DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court turned down an appeal Tuesday, clearing the way for the parents of the Oxford High School shooter to face trial on involuntary manslaughter charges.
James and Jennifer Crumbley are accused of making a gun available to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs.
The state appeals court in March said the couple could face trial, and the Supreme Court said it would let that decision stand.
Ethan Crumbley killed four fellow students and injured seven other people at Oxford High in November 2021. He pleaded guilty to terrorism and murder. A judge last week said he is eligible for life in prison without parole.
Attorneys for the parents insist the school shooting was not foreseeable. They acknowledge that bad decisions were made but not ones that should rise to charges of involuntary manslaughter.
The teen and his parents met with school staff on the day of the shooting after a teacher noticed violent drawings, but no one checked his backpack for a gun. He was allowed to stay.
The 17-year-old, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, will be sentenced Dec. 8. The judge will have an option of giving him a prison term that would make him eligible for parole in the decades ahead.