Convicted Mother of Michigan School Shooter Requests New Trial Due to Witness Agreements

PONTIAC, Mich.—On Friday, the first U.S. parent held criminally liable for a school shooting perpetrated by their child requested a Michigan judge to overturn her conviction, claiming her trial was compromised due to the prosecutor’s failure to reveal crucial information regarding two key witnesses.

Nick Ejak and Shawn Hopkins, Oxford High School employees, were not offered immunity concerning the tragic shooting that resulted in the deaths of four students in 2021. However, they agreed to testify to the prosecutors on the understanding that their statements would not be used against them.

The four-page agreement was not disclosed to Jennifer Crumbley’s legal counsel prior to her 2024 trial.

Crumbley’s appellate lawyer contended on Friday that this failure to disclose the agreement constituted a fundamental breach of prosecutorial protocol.

Had the defense been informed about this agreement, Crumbley’s trial attorney could have interrogated Ejak and Hopkins regarding it during cross-examination, thereby questioning their credibility, Michael Dezsi stated.

“They dangled that carrot over those witnesses to get them to cooperate,” Dezsi remarked about the actions of the prosecutors.

Crumbley, 46, is currently serving a 10-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors argued that she had a responsibility to shield the students at Oxford from her 15-year-old son, who received a firearm as a gift just days before the mass shooting.

Ejak and Hopkins interacted with Ethan Crumbley and his parents two hours prior to the shooting. A teacher had expressed concern over Ethan’s drawings that depicted a gun, a bullet, and an injured individual on his math paper, accompanied by dismal phrases.

Ejak and Hopkins believed that Ethan would return home following the morning meeting, but did not object when the parents indicated that he would remain at school. Neither staff nor parents checked the teen’s backpack for a firearm.

Assistant prosecutor Marc Keast asserted that his office was not obligated to disclose agreements with Ejak and Hopkins, as they were not facing any charges.

“Their attorneys reached out to us,” Keast stated before Judge Cheryl Matthews. “There was no promise. There were no threats. There was no discussion about testimony. We simply discussed their actions on November 30th.”

Judge Matthews indicated that the failure to disclose the agreements likely represented a prosecutorial violation. However, she also mentioned that the testimonies of Ejak and Hopkins constituted a “very minor part” of the evidence against Jennifer Crumbley.

The judge did not provide an immediate decision regarding the request for a new trial. Matthews had previously dismissed other arguments in a nine-page ruling on Thursday.

Jennifer Crumbley’s husband, James Crumbley, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a separate trial and is also serving a sentence of 10 years. Meanwhile, Ethan Crumbley, now 18, is serving a life sentence for murder and other offenses.

By Ed White