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Judge orders parents of Michigan school shooting suspect to stand trial

Prosecutors accuse James and Jennifer Crumbley of ignoring warning signs from their son Ethan Crumbley, leading to the Nov. 30 assault at Oxford High School, which killed four students.
Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, a teenager accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School, appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., on Feb. 8, 2022.
Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of a teenager accused of killing four students in a shooting at Oxford High School, appear in court for a preliminary examination on involuntary manslaughter charges in Rochester Hills, Mich., on Feb. 8.Paul Sancya / AP file

The parents of a Michigan teenager accused of gunning down four students at his school last year will go to trial accused of ignoring warning signs which led to the deadly rampage, a judge ruled Thursday.

There is sufficient evidence for James and Jennifer Crumbley to stand trial on four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the mass shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, Rochester Hills District Judge Julie Nicholson said.

Their son, Ethan Crumbley, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, terrorism and gun violations.

In addition to the allegations that he killed four schoolmates in the Detroit suburb, he is accused of wounding six other students and a teacher.

Ethan Crumbley is alleged to have used a weapon his parents gave him as an early Christmas gift, authorities have said.

Lawyers for the parents said their clients shouldn't be held criminally liable because they couldn't have known their son was planning an attack on his school.