Oxford Shooter Ethan Crumbley’s Parents Asked To Stop Mouthing ‘I Love You’ In Court

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of alleged Oxford High shooter Ethan Crumbley, appeared in court Tuesday for a preliminary examination in relation to their manslaughter charges and were ordered to stop “disrespectful” communication in the courtroom.

The couple kept mouthing the words “I love you” to each other in court, something they also reportedly did when they last appeared in December and they were eventually ordered to stop by District Judge Julie Nicholson, who called it “disruptive’ and disturbing to the victim’s families.

Based on the evidence presented at the preliminary examination, Judge Nicholson will determine if the Crumbleys will go to trial for their four involuntary manslaughter charges, to which they have pleaded not guilty. The Crumbleys are accused of purchasing Ethan a gun, not securing it adequately, and not warning school officials about his disturbing behavior which eventually led to him allegedly killing four Oxford High students and injuring seven more people.

The prosecution submitted several text messages between Ethan and Jennifer Crumbley in an attempt to prove negligence by his family. In one series of texts sent last March, Ethan told his mother that their house was haunted by a demon who was throwing bowls around. Jennifer apparently was horse riding and didn’t respond for the entire day.

Along with texts, Jennifer and James were also summoned to the school on the morning of the shooting when disturbing drawings of guns made by Ethan were found along with the words “The thoughts won’t stop.” According to authorities, the parents refused to take Crumbley home, and Jennifer returned to work that day.

When news of the shooting broke, Jennifer Crumbley’s work supervisor Andrew Smith claims that she texted him and said, “I need my job. Please don’t judge me for what my son did.”

Jennifer and James Crumbley are being held in jail on a $500,000 bond. Ethan has been charged as an adult for murder, but his trial has been stalled because his lawyers have filed for an insanity defense.