Prosecutors in the Jennifer and James Crumbley case have now recently revealed that the now-incarcerated parents actually drained their son Ethan’s bank account and purchased four different cell phones before fleeing and attempting to hide following their charges in connection to their son’s shooting at his Oxford high school.
To make the situation that much worse, Law & Crime reports the Crumbleys’ defense attorney is now also arguing that the extramarital affairs had by both the parents are “irrelevant” to the case against them.
Prosecutors in the case against the Crumbleys have asserted that Jennifer and James blatantly ignored the numerous red flags their 15-year-old son was displaying ahead of the tragic shooting, as they were too preoccupied with their extramarital affairs, substance abuse, and caring for their horses.
In court this week, defense attorney Mariell Lehman argued, “The information provided by the prosecution related to extramarital relationships is not only clearly irrelevant to the issue of bond or any criminal responsibility but is also a clear intention by the prosecution to create a conflict between the parties,” referencing the fact that both Jennifer and James are represented by the same law firm. “Your honor, there is no conflict. We have explained and discussed the matter of extramarital relationships with our clients and there are no issues.”
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It was during this hearing that the judge ultimately denied the Crumbleys’ request that their half-million-dollar bond be lowered to a more agreeable $100,000, with the promise that the couple would agree to wear GPS tracking devices should they make bail.
The Law & Crime report says prosecutors argued that the couple remains a flight risk “especially given the way they were arrested.”
Prosecutors went on to note that James was only temporarily employed with DoorDash, Jennifer had been terminated from her job, and they had put their family home on the market after falling a staggering $11,000 behind on their payments — all of which further indicates that they won’t stay put if they’re released.
The report goes on to note that, following their son’s shooting, the couple “started making plans to sell their horses, line up a hotel, bought four cell phones, drained their son’s bank account, withdrew money from their own accounts, and went on the lam rather than turn themselves in to the authorities.”
“In total, the couple had ‘more than a dozen credit cards and gift cards and $6,600 in cash,” the Law & Crime report reads. “The couple tried to destroy one of the four phones before they were taken into custody.”
The Detroit News reports that Jennifer and James withdrew a total of $3,000 from their son’s bank account before they fled, leaving only 99 cents in the account.
“During a breakout session between the judge and the attorneys at the end of the proceeding, Jennifer and James Crumbley appeared to mouth words and make hand gestures to one another on the court video feed in an apparent attempt to communicate,” Law & Crime reports.
You can see the hearing here:
Featured image via screen capture
