James Crumbley trial heads to closing arguments after sister testifies in his defense
Closing arguments in the criminal trial of James Crumbley is set to begin Wednesday afternoon after the prosecution rested its case and his defense called only one witness.
Closing arguments in the criminal trial of James Crumbley are set to begin Wednesday afternoon after the prosecution rested its case and his defense called only one witness following five days of testimony examining whether the Michigan father was partially responsible for his teenage son's 2021 school shooting.
The race toward the trial's end came as Crumbley told Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews that "it is my decision to remain silent."
The jury, however, heard from his sister, Karen Crumbley, who testified Wednesday morning that she had seen her brother and his son, Ethan, when their mother passed away in early 2021, several months before the shooting. She said she had not noticed anything "concerning" about Ethan's behavior, nor when she visited her brother in Michigan about four months before the shooting.
Karen Crumbley, who lives in Florida, said she communicated with her brother often, although they reside in different states, and testified that it would be wrong to get a gun for a child to "use at his leisure," but with adult supervision, "I don't see any problem with it."
During cross-examination, however, Oakland County prosecutor Marc Keast confirmed with her that the siblings only spoke with each other three times by phone in 2021 and shared 22 instant messages, suggesting they were not close.
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