James, Jennifer Crumbley to appear in Michigan court on school shooting charges

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of the Oxford, Mich. shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley, are expected to appear at a probable cause conference in Oakland County on Tuesday afternoon.

The Crumbleys have been charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of four Oxford High School students last month. Authorities have said they gifted their teenage son, a student at the school, a gun that was used in the shooting and did not do enough to secure it.

Ethan Crumbley had his probable cause hearing moved to January after appearing briefly in court on Monday. A request by his attorney to get the youth moved to a juvenile facility was rejected. He and his parents are all being held at the Oakland County Jail.

While they are in the same facility, the Crumbleys are not allowed to have any contact with each other. Ethan Crumbley has been held in isolation since his arrival in the jail, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

On Tuesday, Oxford Community Schools closed all of its buildings because of an online threat that was directed at the middle school. The high school has been closed since the shooting and is not expected to open again until sometime in January.