Ethan Crumbley's Parents Have Request to Lower Bail Rejected By Judge, Will Remain in Jail

James and Jennifer Crumbley will remain in jail after a Michigan judge denied their request to lower their $500,000 bond on January 7, 2022.

The Crumberly's have been in jail since December 4 after being unable to post their bond. They had a hearing on Friday to try and lower their bond to $100,000 and be able to leave prison, but the judge denied their request.

Judge Julie Nicholson said she denied lowering the bond because the pair have ties in the area and failed to turn themselves in on December 3 after they were charged in connection with their son Ethan Crumberly for the fatal shootings at Oxford High School on November 30.

The Crumberly's were charged with involuntary manslaughter and are accused of not taking their son out of school when a counselor expressed concern over a disturbing drawing and making a gun accessible to their son.

Earlier Friday, Ethan also had a hearing where he fast-tracked his case directly to trial after waiving his right to a key evidentiary hearing that would determine whether his case had enough evidence to move ahead to trial. The 15-year-old is being charged as an adult for murder and other crimes.

Prosecutors are opposing the lower bond. They noted that the elder Crumbleys were missing for hours when charges were announced December 3 before police found them miles away in a Detroit art studio early the next morning.

"The last thing they expected was that a school shooting would take place, or that their son would be responsible," defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman said in a court filing.

Smith said they had planned to appear in court on December 4.

The Crumbleys "will flee if they get the opportunity" prosecutors said in a court filing, noting they were behind in mortgage payments and had put their house up for sale.

Crumbley, 15, is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes for the four students who were killed and others who were injured during the school shooting.

After the brief hearing, defense attorney Paulette Loftin told WWJ-AM that a plea deal down the road was a "definite possibility," though "it's too early to jump to that phase."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.