by
Prosecutor Karen McDonald
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald is coming under unwanted scrutiny in an election year in which she is running for Michigan Attorney General.
Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission is investigating allegations that McDonald crossed ethical lines while prosecuting Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley.
The Freep reports that attorney Nancy J. Diehl—a former prosecutor, ex-president of the Michigan Bar Association, and ex-Judicial Tenure Commissioner— filed a complaint with the state commission alleging:
McDonald won those convictions by fostering a "must-win" environment that included misconduct of all sorts, including: Withholding evidence from the defense − in this case, proffer agreements that protected two key witnesses who testified against the Crumbleys; using press conferences, media interviews and a public relations firm to allegedly prejudice the defendants early on; and giving a TV crew inside access to her office − while a gag order was in place − resulting in a Hulu documentary titled: "Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials."
Jeff Wattrick, a spokesman for the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, tells the Freep:
"We are proud of that work and the verdicts in these cases."
"Prosecutors in our office and throughout the state routinely have complaints lodged against them by defendants or lawyers unhappy with the legitimate outcome of their cases. We do not comment on those because it is a confidential process unless the grievance commission determines there is a basis for concern."
"In this instance, we believe this is simply a political attack made with the same types of claims previously found not to have merit. We continue to focus on the victims in the Oxford cases, and we stand by the jury’s verdict and the court's rulings.”
