James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the accused Oxford High School shooter, appeared in shackles in an Oakland County district court for their first post-arraignment hearing on Tuesday.
The elder Crumbleys are accused of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say that's because they gave the gun used in the November 30 shooting to their 15-year-old son as a gift, and ignored signs of his disturbed mental state.
Ethan Crumbley later killed four of his classmates with the gun, and injured six other students and a teacher.
His parents were arrested in a Detroit-area warehouse on December 4, after a manhunt by Oakland County law enforcement and other agencies.
At the hearing, attorneys for both sides agreed to postpone the preliminary exam for the two, since there remains a large amount of evidence that has not yet been gathered by law enforcement.
Preliminary exams are hearings to decide if there is enough evidence for a case to move forward.
Both parents are being represented by the same attorneys, a potential conflict of interest. District Court Judge Julie Nicholson directed the attorneys to notify her if a conflict arises in the future.
Attorneys representing the couple also plan to ask the judge to reduce their $500,000 bonds. A hearing for the bond reduction request was scheduled for January 7 at 1:15 p.m.
All three Crumbleys are in the Oakland County Jail, but officers say they do not have access to each other, and the alleged shooter is also separated from adult inmates.
