Prosecutor: Crumbleys may try to get 'do-over' by sharing same law firm - Yahoo News
The prosecution has warned the court that James and Jennifer Crumbley may be using the same law firm to set themselves up for an appeal should they get convicted for their alleged roles in the Oxford High School shooting case.
For the first time since the parents were charged in the case, the prosecution has publicly expressed concern about the Crumbleys using the same law firm to represent them.
Jennifer Crumbley has her own lawyer, Shannon Smith. So does James Crumbley, who is being represented by Mariell Lehman. But Smith and Lehman work for the same law firm, which raises issues for the prosecution about how the attorneys will defend their clients at trial as each parent will face different accusations.
The Crumbleys are not being charged as a couple, but as two different individuals whose actions may be used against the other. Should they be convicted, the prosecution argues, one may argue that they deserve an appeal because they didn't have an impartial lawyer — or there was a conflict of interest.
To avoid this, the prosecution has asked the judge to intervene and re-evaluate this arrangement as the couple head backs to court for a pretrial hearing on Tuesday.
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"The purpose of the motion is to make sure these defendants understand that, once convicted, they will not be entitled to a “do-over” when they later decide that they should have had separate counsel," Assistant Oakland Prosecutor David W. Williams said in a statement. " Our goal is justice for the victims, and if these defendants decide to proceed with joint representation, that should not come at the expense of the taxpayers, the Court, the prosecution, and most of all, it must not come at the expense of the victims.”
The prosecutors office has requested, among other things, that the judge explain to the defendants the "dangers" of sharing the same law firm. It also wants the judge to order the Crumbleys to sign off on an waiver before every hearing and proceeding in their case in which they acknowledge the risk and waive any conflict of interest.
The Crumbleys are charged with involuntary manslaughter for that police say was used in the Nov. 30 massacre at Oxford High School that left four students dead, injured six other students and a teacher. Prosecutors have alleged that the parents ignored a troubled son who needed help, watched him spiral out of control, and bought him a gun instead of getting him help.
source: https://news.yahoo.com/prosecutor-crumbleys-may-try-over-174145597.html
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