Watch live: Testimony resumes in Jennifer Crumbley involuntary manslaughter trial

After testimony took a salacious turn Wednesday, with Jennifer Crumbley agreeing to let jurors know she had an affair with a prosecution witness who testified about their messages after the Oxford High School massacre, prosecutors will move toward wrapping up their case.

The messages showed her distress about her son and the impact on her life, along with anger toward school officials.

Watch Thursday's proceedings live here.

Crumbley is charged with involuntary manslaughter as prosecutors seek to hold her and her husband, James, who goes on trial in March, for the four murders committed by their son on Nov. 30, 2021. Prosecutors allege that the couple knew their son was mentally troubled and bought him a gun that he used in the shooting rather than getting him professional help.

Their son, Ethan Crumbley, pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. The case is the first to put parents on trial over a school shooting, and has drawn national interest. Shannon Smith is Jennifer Crumbley's lawyer.

Jennifer Crumbley outlines son's interests

Asked by Smith what her son was interested in, Crumbley said, "He was really into bowling, he was good at it. He enjoyed his metal detector, during trips to Florida and looked for old coins and cans in the neighbor's yard," Crumbley said of her son.

"He was into BB guns and target practice. In the backyard, we sent up targets that we got from Amazon."

She said he was into video games and played soccer from third to eighth grade, and was into coin collecting.

She told jurors she's an avid reader.

She told jurors she joined ski patrol so the family could ski for free. Her son would come to the ski resort with her when she worked. He didn't like horses, however, she said, noting it was kind of boring for him.

"At home, we played board games and got the virtual reality headset. We had a pool. We swam together, really just normal stuff," she said.

"Every year at Halloween, we carved pumpkins. At Thanksgiving, we watched 'Christmas Vacation' together."

She added: "He really liked history. He was a history buff. He played me in Trivia pursuit and beat me every time."

She said her son had average grades. She had the PowerSchool app on her phone and monitored it multiple times a day. Our biggest struggle with him was missing assignments.

"His problem was that he didn't try as hard as he could," she said.

Prosecution rests its case; Jennifer Crumbley prepares to testify

Jennifer Crumbley is taking the stand in her own defense.

After five days of sitting next to her lawyer, watching horrifying videos of her son shooting and killing children, and hearing witnesses portray her as a cold and distant mother, Jennifer Crumbley's lawyer called her to the witness stand to testify in her own defense.

Before testifying before the jury, Crumbley's lawyer Shannon Smith asked her if she was aware of the consequences of testifying — that the prosecution has the right to cross-examine her.

Yes, she answered.

"Are you doing this because anyone has coerced or threatened you?" Smith asked.

"No," Crumbley answered.

"Is it your choice?" her lawyer asked.

Yes, she said, and replied to the judge that she didn't have any questions.

As testimony began, Crumbley said she did marketing for a real estate firm. "Public speaking is probably my biggest fear," she told jurors, adding she's "nervous."

Smith asked Crumbley to describe her personality.

"I internalize things," she said. "I tend to hold things in and let it out when I'm alone."

She told jurors that her husband had a hard time holding down a job after his mom passed away, so it was up to her to help him find a job.

"I take control of things," she said. "It's just what I do."

According to her testimony, she and James Crumbley met 14 years ago. She said it's been more than two years since they spoke — the day they were arrested. Both have been jailed since then.

Lawyers battle over excerpts from shooter's journal

The trial turned testy Thursday when defense attorney Smith sought to introduce excerpts from the shooter’s journal that she believes show he did not have easy access to the gun.

Smith wants to introduce three journal excerpts, including one where the shooter talks about trying to figure out where his dad hid the gun, and how he needs to time getting the gun in a way that he doesn't get caught.

This request came after she asked Oakland County Sheriff’s Det. Lt. Timothy Willis: “You have no evidence to suggest that Mr. or Mrs. Crumbley ever saw the journal?”

“No,” Willis answered. “If I had evidence of that, I think the charges would be different: murder.”

Smith argued that she should have a right to challenge statements in the journal, noting she cannot question the shooter because he is refusing to testify in his mom’s case. That also means she can't challenge anything the shooter wrote in his journal, which the judge noted has been a troubling issue all along.

At issue is this: Before trial, the defense tried to keep the entire journal out, but Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews decided to let excerpts in.

However, the only excerpts the jury has heard are ones that the prosecution picked.

Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast argued this is an old issue that has already been decided, and that the door should not be opened to include statements the defense now maintains helps the defendant.

But the defense had expected that the shooter, whom it had subpoenaed, was going to testify. Now that he's not, Smith argued, "I am hamstrung."

"I understand your position," said Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews.

After taking a break, Matthews decided the journal excerpts sought by the defense would not be allowed as evidence, including this one:

"I have to find where my dad hid the 9 mm."

That information is nothing new to the jurors, she said.

“The shooter found the gun, right?” Matthews said, noting jurors have already heard statements by the parents that the gun was hidden, “obviously very poorly,” she added.

Matthews later ruled that none of Ethan Crumbley's psychological records or interviews could be used as evidence because his appellate attorneys say he objects to that.

Shooter's journal: 'I have access to the gun and the ammo. I am fully committed to this'

Jennifer Crumbley wept at the defense table as Willis described the wounds suffered by the teens killed in the school shooting as prosecutors played surveillance video of the shooting.

Willis also struggled emotionally from the stand as he read the autopsy reports. When he read the name of Justin Shilling, the final victim who was killed in a bathroom, where he had been hiding, the boy's father wept.

Prosecutors also showed writings the shooter had made in a journal in which he said he had “zero HELP for my mental problems and it’s causing me to SHOOT UP THE (expletive) SCHOOL.” The shooter also wrote: “I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help,” and “My parents won’t listen to me about help or a therapist” and “I’m about to shoot up the school and spend the rest of my life in prison.”

He also wrote about the gun he used in the shooting: “First off I got my gun. It’s a SP2022 Sig Sauer 9mm. Second the shooting is tomorrow. I have access to the gun and the ammo. I am fully committed to this now. So yeah … I’m going to prison for life and many people have about 1 day left to live.”

As video of the shooting was shown, many in the courtroom broke down crying at the terrifying images of the gunman going down the hall, firing at students. Families of the victims wept in their seats. Some jurors also cried, with one refusing to look at the video at one point, holding her head down.

The loudest cries came from the defendant as Jennifer Crumbley struggled to contain herself, sobbing while holding her face in her hands. Her lawyer also struggled as she held her hand to her forehead, looking down and crying.

Assistant Prosecutor Keast asked Willis why officers had to run past some of the victims. Willis explained that in their training for active shooters they are trained to “drive up right to the door” if they have to and go in, head toward gunshots and eliminate the shooter.

“Stop them however you can,” he testified. “Because the situation was active and the killing hadn’t stopped, you can’t stop and render aid.”

Willis said: “I know those officers and that is the hardest thing they’ve ever had to do in their life.”

Judge Matthews called for a short break.

Returning to the courtroom after sitting through the gut-wrenching school shooting video, jurors were shown a video of James and Jennifer Crumbley handcuffed in the back of a patrol car, venting about what was happening.

“Can you take the handcuffs off her please?” James Crumbley pleads.

“Why am I in cuffs? It hurt. It really hurts,” Jennifer Crumbley says. "I’m getting claustrophobic." Her husband tells her: "Honey don’t freak out in front of the cops."

But Jennifer Crumbley kept saying, "Why are they here? Why are they here?

Her husband added: "Why are you in f----- handcuffs."

Jennifer Crumbley continued: "Why are they at our house? I’m so confused."

Her husband continued to vent: “We’re already dealing with s---. Why do we have to deal with this?”

James Crumbley then told his wife: "Honey I love you if anything happens."

She didn't respond.

After telling his wife he loved her, James Crumbley stressed to her that they should tell police nothing until they had lawyers.

Prosecutors showed banking records for the Crumbleys, showing that after the shooting, $2,000 was withdrawn by Jennifer Crumbley withdrew $2,000 from Flagstar Bank on Dec. 2, 2021, and $4,000 more on Dec. 3, 2021.

Willis also testified that on Nov. 30, 2021, there was a $3,000 transfer from Ethan Crumbley’s savings account at Flagstar.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Watch live: Testimony Jennifer Crumbley involuntary manslaughter trial