Keweenaw County deputies arrested 61-year-old Michael Braman Sunday after a several-months-long investigation with assistance from the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit. The killings horrified residents in this remote, pristine community on the shores of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. Gayle Lampinen, the woman he found so captivating, appears to still live in the Upper Peninsula and participate in equestrian events. An 82-year-old residents home was broken into, and the homeowner was assaulted. Hunting buddies. WebCrime statistics in Michigan vary widely by location. Peter Hurkos, a Dutch-born psychic living in Los Angeles, claimed he had extrasensory perception and could use it to help find the killer. Would have been nice to retrieve the gun and do ballistics, but the fact that he disposed of the gun played an important part in showing guilt. Her family doesnt really do anything because of religious reasons, so Im kind of the only one left. The next day -- April 17 -- in the late afternoon, a Manistique couple and their two sons, 8 and 14, were driving on River Road near where Aldrich and her friends had been shooting up the stolen cocaine a few days before and saw an SUV stopped in the middle of the muddy icy road. Police found Taylors body on Aug. 20, 2000, after she had been missing for nine days. Blankalso recalled that the day she was found, he pedaled his bike to the crime scene. There are photos of her headstone in Saint Joseph Cemetery in Ypsilanti, and a website, MaryFleszar.com, that details moments of her life. And they are still faced with one haunting question: Did someone get away with murder that day? These people that I thought was weird at the time, but I never suspected them, makes sense. The slayings all but one of which were in the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor area created terror,turmoil and a far-reaching police investigation full oftwists. Volumes of info. David Leik, who broke the case. The Isle is the Audiochuck Park Predator podcast episode featuring the 1988 murder of Paul Girard in Marquettes Presque Isle Park. From crime boss and occasional visitor Scarface Al Capone to the Upper Peninsulas own Public Enemy #1, John Red Hamilton, Up North has historic ties to organized crime and the baddies who used the area as a playground far from their normal haunts in Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland and elsewhere. "He doesn't know what he's doing," said Rob Hutchinson, brother of the man smothered with the plastic bag. Now it is a fond memento of Dowds she keeps alongside other photos, newspaper clippings and memories of Taylor in a scrapbook. When Cochran was sentenced for the crime, she was already serving a life sentence for the murder and dismemberment of her lover, Chris Regan, after he vanished in 2014 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Everything seemed fine until November 29, 1992, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when Judy, Bruce, and Elise were visiting the Blakes. Like many residents of Michigans rugged Upper Peninsula, the 6-foot-tall Bruce had Finnish ancestry. We just want people to remember she was here and now shes not. Her feet had been cut offandwere missing her flesh,ravagedby animals. "I placed a bag over his head and duct taped it around his neck at which time he told me he couldn't breathe, and I said, 'no kidding, dummy.' But three weeks later, Cordell, to the astonishment of investigators, suddenly changed his story. On April 14, Brunke had given her a large quantity of cocaine, and she drove out to River Road, a rural county gravel lane surrounded by forest, with a male friend to share it. Marshals Service eventually tracked her down in Kentucky, where she was arrested and taken into custody. "When you go over there, you should make sure your bases are covered.". One of the victims was smothered with a plastic bag taped over his head, his hands tied behind his back, as his killer smoked cocaine and watched him die. Law enforcement formed a multi-agency task force to investigatehundreds of tips anda dragnet that included a cross-country FBI search. It makes more sense now that they would say things the way that they did., Its still unsolved and we want it solved,, We want justice for her. Dowd said one thing her friend always looked forward to was turning a quarter of a century, which she missed by just a few months before her life was cut short. It appears that the number of "It was where we could all go to remember them," said Kellie Roll. Somebody took her away and it needs to be solved. The bullet had traveled through Judys heart, exited her body, and landed somewhere in the woods. Chasing big bucks. In the interview, Collins was mostly calm. She signed up for online university courses. On June 27, the Negaunee Police Department investigated damage in front of the Subway restaurant next to Super One Foods. Harvey said Hurkos then made several predictions that seemed outlandish, among them: "You are going to find a homemade ladder," and "you are going to arrest an individual who has foreign money in his possession.". Melanie Maxwell has been a picture editor at the Free Press since 2018. When the police showed up at Goiness Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. They fled back to their car and the shaken father dialed 911. Somebody took her away and it needs to be solved. Thats the last time anyone saw her alive. Youll always be here in my heart, it was signed. Macedonio was paroled after being in prison for more than 50 years. WebKalamazoo ; The city with highest murder rate in Michigan. You will receive your first email soon. Police have not released any information about the suspect. The blackened bodies were still warm and smoking. Hawaii Island police launched a second-degree murder investigation in Puna on Friday. WebEighth District - Upper Peninsula. To prepare for the trial, investigators had re-created the chimney block incident. Doug Harvey, who was Washtenaw County sheriff during the slayings, said he'd never forget as long as he lives watching Hurkos reach out and touch objects in the area where one of the victim's bodies has been. There is still a faint stain of soot on the road, now almost washed away by rain. "It sounds like he was baiting her to be honest with you," said one of her friends with her when the text came through.. Aldrich, panicked about stealing the drugs, and coming down from her high, hid her car at a nearby casino, worried Brunke was looking for her. Aldrich would later tell a friend that one day in early April she came home and found Brunke with a handgun to his head. She drove back out to the spot on River Road with two friends, and shot up the drugs. Buteven after the long trial, the public remained fascinated by the macabre cases. Thats why I come up here and be her voice every year because she doesnt have one. Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. Listen to the Audiochuck podcast on Apple Podcasts. When the police broke the news to Bruce that his silly device had failed and Gayle considered him little more than a nuisance, it crushed his ego and he confessed. Prosecutor William Delhey and Ann Arbor Police Chief Walter Krasny were skeptical of psychic readings. CHAPTER 3: 'Handsome' EMU student was unlikely serial killer suspect. Bruce was arrested and charged with premeditated murder. Fleszar's case and the cases of five other victims, Joan Schell, Dawn Basom, Maralynn Skelton, Alice Kalom, and Roxie Phillips have remained unsolved for half a century or more, a long time to wait for families seeking justice. After Collins was charged, some victims' relativestried to attend the preliminary examination, but, according to news accounts, they were not allowed in. The two sisters were shot up with drugs before being strangled, a kind of "last meal" for the condemned, the same killer would later brag. ", All three suspects were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, and kidnapping since the victims had been held against their will in Brunke's home.But he denied that anybody had been harmed in his house, and insisted that he had nothing to do with the killings. He later said the sightings were likely swamp gas. The 2021 podcast episode also notes that Girards family and friends say he was an openly gay man his entire life, but that he wasnt always accepted in the community because of it. That was Bruces downfall he was cheap, Bob Ball said. Brunke will be in court Jan. 21 when he will be sentenced to prison on the lesser felonies. She also orchestrated the evidence locker. He said he wished aloud he could bury all of her remains together even the parts that were never found. He said the two women arrived at the house, looking for morphine, and that he forced the two women into the basement at gunpoint as Hutchinson waited outside in the car. And there was growing tension from another source. He has no chance at parole. This report is based on those records, along with court documents and interviews. The two men were being held in separate jails, Cordell in Schoolcraft County Jail, and Brunke in Chippewa County jail. On Jan. 21, 1994, Bruce received a sentence of life without parole. If the killings brought into focus the growing drug problem in this quiet community, it also put its young prosecutor on the hot seat and is now threatening his fledgling career. And in an attempt to entice Gayle that redefined the word buffoon, the writer ended the letter by noting that Bruce is incredible in the sack.. The killers worried they were leaving tire tracks. Authorities said he was convicted of murder in the killing of 18-year-old Christina Ferrara on Long Island. A book, "The Michigan Murders," about the slayings was published in 1976, and Hollywood started production on a movie,"Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep," in 1977 In Michigan. I don't know the number, but it's not as great as what she's claimed. Separately, Judy Moilanen took a group of her own Springer spaniels plus her parents dog, Streak, for a walk in the woods behind the property the Blakes owned on Highway 38 in Ontonagon. They asked a psychic for help. Login; Crime in Michigan. ". He showed someemotion, however, when asked about his mother. Mr Ballen covers this on his Podcast. He then strangled Nelson, he said. Dowd first met Taylor at a womens shelter and the two just became fast friends, she said. She hoped someday to see her children again, all whom were adopted out to other families. The arrests happened on Saturday evening after deputies stopped a car in Hancock and found crystal methamphetamine and Buprenorphine. A man who was arrested earlier this year for his involvement in the sale and distribution of crystal meth pleaded guilty in a Delta County court on Wednesday. And Bruce didnt observe much of a mourning period. But all agreed that Brunke had lured Aldrich to his house with the promise of free drugs. Collins had given Phillips' friend,also 17, a ride and then made a date with her. It was that horrific crime that eventually inspired one of the scariest movies in recent history, Jeepers Creepers. Brunke arrived home from work a short time later, Cordell said. It was also odd because multiple witnesses in the investigation told police that Cordell, unemployed and indigent, often owed money to Brunke, an employed homeowner, and not the other way around. So now the prosecutor was down to two defendants, but with enough evidence to proceed to trial. WebMichigan authorities charged Cochran with Regan's death but she fled the state. While the city with highest number of murders period? In Canada, Collins could be eligible for parole. Judy and Bruce stayed in the Upper Peninsula. The blood type matched to Beineman. The 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada was almost too small to handle its cargo a dead man and dead woman in the back seat, another woman's body wedged behind that seat. "It was a very, very scary time," said Marcia McCrary, a 70-something volunteer at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and EMU alumnus. WebIn June 2016, Alfred Saario shot and killed his 29-year-old step-daughter Jamie Jame. Aldrich's friend would later tell police he was certain Brunke had seen what they had been doing. Zombieland Rule #4:double tap! It makes more sense now that they would say things the way that they did.. Carlson insisted at first that Brunke had strangled Aldrich in his bedroom, while she held Aldrich's legs to keep her from kicking and flailing. In the meantime, the authorities took the scene at face value as an accident, believing that an unknown hunters errant bullet killed Judy. Theres things that were said and things that were done. Authorities stoppedpursuing Collins. Hesaid he got details of the slaying from his uncle, a Michigan State Police trooper. "We very frequently take over difficult and complex cases whenever the local prosecutor asks for our assistance. "I was upset," he told investigators, "I didn't sleep that night. Meanwhile, Brunke, she said, was killing the other two victims, who were tied up in the basement. The motive - to punish Aldrich for the theft of the cocaine. Check it out. There had been stretches when Aldrich thought she was going to make it. MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - An unsolved murder, that happened in Marquette more than three decades ago, has been featured in a popular true crime podcast. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) - An Upper Michigan man is in custody on a charge related to the killing of Hayley Smith in Chippewa County. Investigators couldnt find it at first. Michael Schreiber was arrested June 18 and charged with one count of child sexually abusive activity, three counts of child sexually abusive material possession, three counts of computers using to commit a crime and one count of surveilling unclothed person. Collins never showed up for his date. On Tuesday, Dowd released a bouquet of balloons each with a different memory for Taylor; some read Erin bear, www.justiceforerintaylor.com and love you always.. She researched the key suspects past, dug through hundreds of evidence photos and newspaper clippings and worked with Witsil to uncover new details in the cases. ", And then he added, with a slight grin, "One man shall die so that the other may live.". Authorities say a 48-year-old Munising man and a 29-year-old Escanaba woman were arrested Tuesday. We have several veteran prosecutors who have a great deal of experience on difficult homicide, sexual assault and other specialized cases.". "Jody was the first person to die," Cordell said in his written statement, dated Sept. 29. On July 31, 1969, the Michigan State Police director made a big announcement: Thekiller finally had been arrested. Not long after the killings, the victims' families and friends put up a makeshift memorial at the site, with small crosses and stuffed animals, and balloons, now-deflated. While there has been a sharp increase in drug use in the tiny towns of the UP in recent years, he said, this was a new level of violence. She was the fourth hunting-related fatality in Michigan this season.. Your email address will not be published. The community was both mesmerized and suspicious about how the case unfolded. A man who was involved in a methamphetamine drug bust received his sentence in Schoolcraft County circuit court on Thursday. A Bark River man is facing open murder charges after his father was found dead in a home in Harris Township. She had two brothers, Jerry and David. After his wifes death, Bruce reportedly bragged to Gayle that hed soon have a financial windfall thanks to Judys life insurance policies, which would total $330,000 because of double indemnity clauses. Watching a couple Forensic Files episodes should tell them that. Both men began to explore insanity defenses and after their attorneys filed motions, were ordered to undergo psychological exams at the state's Forensic Center. There was Ron Gillette, who sent out invitations to his second wedding while still married to his first wife. They were both named John, the cousin said, as an homage to the slain and only Catholic president John F. Kennedy. During Gayle Lampinens testimony, Bruce reportedly began crying. Sholander, who grew up in Schoolcraft County and heads a drug task force based in Marquette, has seen his fair share of crime, but nothing like this. After hundreds of interviews, Marquette City Police Department was able to narrow down a male suspect, but there wasnt enough evidence to charge him. Mary Fleszar's sister, Sandra, the same article reported, said thatshe knew Collins, but couldn't recall from where; and her brother, Jim Fleszar, said he and one of Collins' friends both worked at a local department store. She never got on the helicopter and died early the next day. And lets not forget Ronnie Joe Neal, who told police he just happened to find his victims Cadillac with all her valuables inside and the keys in the ignition. I will never understand why people think they can get away with murder. Nine months later, in March 1969, a third woman's body turned up. The cause: arson. The Michigan court of appeals has reached a decision in the case of a man who was found guilty of sexual assault in a Marquette Circuit courtroom. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. WebAudra Gamble 1 dead in Kentwood early morning shooting The shooting took place around 4:45 a.m. Saturday, April 29 at Affordable Suites of America hotel. We want justice for her. He also revealed a shocking new detail no one expected: Beineman had been slain in Leik's basement. Still, Collins didn't give up on his plan. While in California, police said Collins was treated for poison oak. The body was found in the grass off a trail in Ann Arbor. Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. All rights reserved. In what was to be his fifth confession to police, he now said Brunke was not in the house at the time of the killings, and that he and Carlson had committed the murders. He then pointed it at her and she left the room. He left the family dog, aGerman shepherd, and gave Collins a key so he could feed it. It's unclear whether the book which was popular in the '60s and deals with the notion of sanity and mentions the rape and murder of ayoung woman was intended to be left by the killeror just a coincidence. WebAll three suspects were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, and kidnapping since the victims had been held against their will in Brunke's home.But he Butunlike the other two victims, Mixer had been shot twice in the head with a .22. And she called her sister, Carrie Nelson, 31, and Nelson's boyfriend, Jody Hutchinson, 42, and they all eventually met up in Germfask, at Aldrich's mother's house. Suspect cracks wide open. The third time, he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, delivering the deadly wound. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. THE EVIDENCE LOCKER: What police discovered at 7 Michigan murder crime scenes, CHAPTER 1: Never-before-published letters, interviews offer clues in infamous Michigan murders, CHAPTER 2: Murders of Michigan women still unsolved 50 years later but cops had eye on 1 man. Hooked on drugs in her early teens in rural Newberry by a boyfriend who introduced her to the needle, she dropped out of school and began to have babies, five in all. Brunke had plenty of that on hand. A man got close, then ran from the area. While he was in Illinois, investigators said, Brunke replaced the four tires on his car, worried police might match the tires to the ruts found near the smoking SUV. SAULT STE. Murders in Manistique: Brutal killings shake U.P. 46-year-old John Michael Ferry is wanted by the Columbus Police Department in Ohio on murder charges and could be dangerous. Itll cost you. Before she hitched a ride with her sister Nelson and Nelson's boyfriend Hutchinson to Brunke's house for the free drugs, Aldrich posted on her Facebook Page a song about the struggles of addiction. The site is written as if she were telling her own story. The Blakes belonged to the Redeemer Free Lutheran Church, and Judys parents, Mary Ann and Dale, operated a business called Dales Service, according to FindaGrave. He admitted that he had been angry that Aldrich, with whom he had been having a relationship, was seeing another man. Marietta Carlson had been in the Schoolcraft County jail for 47 days, awaiting trial on three counts in the murders of Heather Aldrich, Carrie Nelson and Jody Hutchinson, when she woke up June 16, and complained of stomach pain. Brunke, socially awkward, was immediately smitten by the woman with the long hair. Beineman was the last victim. This time, construction workers found a body near Ann Arbor at Glazier Way and Earhart. Foreman not fooled. Thanks to the Iron Daily Globe, a newspaper that pretty much documented every time a local changed his or her vacuum-cleaner bag, some anecdotal intelligence about Bruce popped up. 2023www.freep.com. As for the completed murder of Judy in the woods, Bruce immediately named more than two dozen people as alibi witnesses. Collins and afriend drove to California. Carrie Nelson had two young sons. For example, Dearborn has a murder rate of only 2.1 per 100,000 while sharing borders with Detroit (43.5 per 100,000) and Inkster (24.2 per 100,000), some of the highest rates in the state. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. In January 2020, a forensic sketch was released by the Marquette Police Department, regarding a second person of interest in the case. He received an appendectomy in 1959, his confirmation in the Apostolic Lutheran Church in 1969, and a number of traffic citations, including two for speeding and one for improper overtaking, in the early 1970s. When they turned her on her back, they saw a bloody chest wound, and Mary Ann screamed, according to the The Sweater Letter. The murder charges against Brunke were being dropped and he was going to be allowed to plead to obstruction of justice and lying to a police officer, convictions that could have him out of prison in five years or less. Then, just days after Mixer's body was found, the body of Maralynn Skelton, a 16-year-old girl from Romulus, was uncovered behind a vacant house on Earhart Road, which is also on the outskirts of Ann Arbor. As they got closer, they could see that it had been burned. His real money, police say, came from drug sales, with Brunke operating a narcotics ring that supplied local residents with cocaine and morphine. The profile, according to "Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked," a 2016 book on the Collins case, concluded that the murderer was likely a religious man who probably had a traumatic experience in his life and, most ominously, would kill again. There were plenty. According to his October testimony, he arrived home that day to find Cordell and Carlson in his home with the three dead bodies. Judy Diane Blake was born to a conservative, outdoorsy family in Hancock, Michigan, on Oct. 16, 1957. But detective Bob Ball didnt buy it. 39-year-old Jeffrey Lewis Thomas was arraigned Wednesday in Ontonagon County Court. I was a young woman with hopes and dreams for my future. The consensus, said Ken, is that Brunke got the deal of a lifetime. "See, I think, what happened is after I was arrested, the media was willing to accept what the police said.". 55 year old Kevin Dolatowski on two counts of delivery of a controlled substance-Suboxone. Its largest city is Manistique, a tiny town of 3,010, without a Walmart or a McDonald's.
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