Parents charged in Michigan school shooting face key hearing

The parents of a teenager who is accused of killing four students at a Michigan school face a key hearing to determine if they will face trial

School Shooting Michigan (Oakland County Sheriff's Office)

The parents of a teenager who is accused of killing four students at a Michigan school face a key hearing to determine if they will face trial.

Attorneys for James and Jennifer Crumbley have asked a judge to consider a postponement so they can further prepare. But there was no decision ahead of the hearing Tuesday.

The Crumbleys are charged with involuntary manslaughter. They're accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and failing to intervene when he showed signs of mental distress.

Four students at Oxford High School were killed and more were injured on Nov. 30. Earlier that day, the Crumbleys declined to take Ethan home when they were confronted with their son's drawings of violence. School officials allowed him to stay but told the parents to get him help.

Their attorneys insist the Crumbleys didn’t know that a shooting was in the works and didn’t make the gun easy to find at home.

Judge Julie Nicholson must decide whether there's enough evidence to send the parents to the trial court in Oakland County.

Separately, Ethan Crumbley is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes. His lawyers filed a notice of an insanity defense, which will likely freeze his case while he is examined by experts.

The high school, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit reopened on Jan. 24, nearly two months after the shooting.