Suspected Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley's parents appear in court; preliminary examination date set

James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Michigan school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley, appeared before an Oakland County court on Tuesday afternoon for a probable cause hearing.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said during the hearing that her office and defense attorneys still have hundreds of pages of discovery, or evidence, to sift through; her office only had about "a third" of the discovery as of Tuesday afternoon.

She added that victims are still holding funerals, and there should not be an "advancement of justice" during the holidays.

James and Jennifer Crumbley will reappear for a preliminary examination on Feb 8, 2022, according to Judge Julie Nicholson.

McDonald said she expects between 15 and 20 witnesses to appear at the examination.

Their son's probable cause conference on Monday was adjourned until Jan. 7 as attorneys sift through a large amount of evidence, including witness testimony and video.

The "primary topics" addressed in a probable cause conference in a case like the Crumbleys' will likely be "the exchange of discovery and the timing of that exchange; whether the preliminary examination will proceed on the scheduled date, whether it will be waived, or whether it will be adjourned to a new date; and bond," a spokesman for the Oakland County prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press.

Ethan Crumbley is suspected of fatally shooting four students and injuring seven others at Oxford High School on Nov. 30. Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald charged James and Jennifer Crumbley with four counts of involuntary manslaughter each. 

Authorities say Ethan Crumbley used a pistol James Crumbley bought on Black Friday, Nov. 26. 

SUSPECTED MICHIGAN SCHOOL SHOOTER ETHAN CRUMBLEY PROBABLE CAUSE CONFERENCE ADJOURNED

McDonald said earlier this month that the parents purchased the pistol as a Christmas present for their son, according to a social media post from Jennifer Crumbley.

Both parents pleaded not guilty at their arraignment last week, where Jennifer Crumbley appeared to tear up while Judge Julie Nicholson read their charges aloud. The two are being held on $500,000 bond each, or a total of $1 million.

The shooting has also resulted in two lawsuits, which seek $100 million in damages each, against the school district and school employees on behalf of the family of two sisters who attend the school. One of the sisters was shot in the neck and the other "narrowly escaped the bullets discharged towards her," according to the lawsuits.  

McDonald also revealed earlier this month that school officials met with Crumbley and his parents to discuss the violent drawings just hours before the deadly rampage. The 15-year-old suspect was able to convince them during the meeting that the concerning drawings were for a "video game." His parents "flatly refused" to take their son home. 

OWNER OF DINER WHERE ETHAN CRUMBLEY WORKED RECALLS SHOOTING SUSPECT: 'NONE OF US NOTICED ANYTHING WAS ODD'

"On the morning of Nov. 30, a teacher observed concerning drawings and written statements that have been detailed in media reports, which the teacher reported to school counselors and the Dean of students. The student was immediately removed from the classroom and brought to the guidance counselor’s office where he claimed the drawing was part of a video game he was designing and informed counselors that he planned to pursue video game design as a career," Oxford Community Schools superintendent Tim Thorne wrote in a letter sent to the Oxford High School community.

"At no time did counselors believe the student might harm others based on his behavior, responses and demeanor, which appeared calm. In addition, despite media reports, whether or not the gun was in his backpack has not been confirmed by law enforcement to our knowledge nor by our investigation at this time," Thorne added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A third party will investigate the school’s handling of Crumbley ahead of the shooting. The school district denied the district attorney's request to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.