A judge ordered the parents of the Michigan school shooting suspect on Tuesday to stop making loving gestures to one another in court.
Prosecutors had filed a motion in Oakland County District Court last week to bar James and Jennifer Crumbley from communicating with each other in court. Prosecutors alleged that both parents mouthed the words, "I love you" to each other during two separate court hearings.
During a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, Judge Julie Nicholson told the Crumbley's that they are "not to be in communication with each other" during in-person court proceedings.
"It's disruptive and it is disrespectful," Judge Nicholson said in court.
James and Jennifer Crumbley both face charges of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors accused them of buying the handgun used in the shooting for their son as an apparent Christmas present.
Their teen son is accused of carrying out the Oxford High School shooting, killing four people and injuring seven on November 30.
Both parents face up to 60 years in prison and $30,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.
According to prosecutors, James Crumbley mouthed "what appeared to be 'I love you' " to Jennifer Crumbley during an in-person hearing on December 14.
Jennifer Crumbley mouthed the same words to her husband on a later hearing via Zoom , according to the prosecutor's motion.
Prosecutors said in the motion that the Crumbley's loving gestures to each other in court made "a mockery of the crimes they are accused of committing."
"The courtroom is not a place for blowing kisses and sending secret signals," Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams said in a statement to Insider's Natalie Musumeci at the time. "This is a time for families to pursue justice."
David said in court on Tuesday that the motion "speaks for itself" when he asked Judge Nicholson to approve it.
The Crumbleys defense attorneys fired back that the two parents "did not realize that their communication was being broadcasted" during court hearings held on Zoom. The defense said that the Crumbley's "certainly didn't intend to offend any of the victims from Oxford and for that, we apologize."
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The fricking army? Are you serious? As somebody who was once in the US military, but got the frick out as soon as possible, let me tell you about how truly evil and depraved the military is. During Basic Training, we were forced to this chant before shooting at the rifle range : "If they're brown, shoot them down!" At the rifle range, we fired at both adult sized targets and child sized targets. Half the targets were painted as being armed, and half the targets we were supposed to shoot at were painted as innocent civilians holding flowers. We were supposed to shoot at any target, regardless of whether it was armed or unarmed, whether it was an adult or a child. The only time in Basic Training we were allowed to watch tv was when the news showed reports of Muslim civilians being "accidentally killed" in air strikes. We were forced to scream "yes!" every time the news mentioned an innocent brown person being killed. As soon as I saw how truly evil and depraved the US military was, I GOT THE FRICK OUT. I went straight to the Drill Sergeants and told them I didn't want to be part of their right wing terrorist organization. I told them that I REFUSED to kill innocent people of color, and take part in unjustified wars of aggression. The Drill Sergeants responded by tying me up and beating my with their machine guns for ten minutes straight. They told me that I wasn't leaving and that if I ever tried to speak up against their hate and bigotry again, they would murder me. I took matters into my own hands, and jumped out the window at night while the Drill sergeants were asleep. This was the second floor, and fortunately I landed in some bushes. I ran the frick away from the base I was at, and have not returned to this day. Every Time any American expresses admiration for the military, I fricking VOMIT. I was in for long enough to see that the US military is a white supremacist terrorist organization, just as bad as Daesh.
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