List of homicides in Michigan

This is a list of homicides in Michigan. This list includes notable homicides committed in the U.S. state of Michigan that have a Wikipedia article on the killing, the killer, or the victim. It is divided into three subject areas as follows:

  1. Multiple homicides - homicides having multiple victims, including incidents involving race riots, mass killings involving organized crime, familicides, a school bombing, a school shooting, a post office shooting, and spree killers.
  2. Serial killers - persons who murder three or more persons with the incidents taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them
  3. Single homicides - notable homicides involving a single fatality

Multiple homicides

Listed in chronological order

Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
Morris murders Decatur 1879 2 Unsolved murders of Charles Henry Morris and Esther Jones Morris
Seeberville Murders Seeberville 1913-08-14 2 Shooting deaths of two striking miners during the Copper Country strike of 1913–1914
Bath school disaster Bath Township 1927-05-18 44 Violent attacks by Andrew Kehoe, including detonation of explosives at school building [1][2][3]
Milaflores Massacre Detroit 1927 3 Shooting of three gangsters, suspected of having been perpetrated to The Purple Gang
Collingwood Manor Massacre Detroit 1931-09-16 3 Gang hit on three Chicago gunmen by members of The Purple Gang [2]
Ford Hunger March Dearborn 1932 5 Confrontation between unemployed auto workers and Dearborn police and Ford security, 5 workers shot to death, more than 60 injured [2]
1943 Detroit race riot Detroit 1943-06 34 Riots among black and white residents, 34 killed, 433 wounded [2]
Troy axe murders Troy 1964-09-28 7 Murder of 7 by father after release from mental hospital
1967 Detroit riot Detroit 1967-07-23-28 43 Race riot in which 43 people were killed [2]
Algiers Motel incident Detroit 1967-07-25/26 3 Three civilians shot and killed by police at the Algiers Hotel during the 1967 Detroit riot, dramatized in the 2017 film Detroit
Robison family murders Good Hart 1968-06-25 6 Mass murder of family from suburban Detroit while vacationing at cottage [3]
Hazelwood massacre Detroit 1971-06-14 8 Execution-style hit killing at house in Detroit [3]
Donald Goines Highland Park 1974-10-21 2 Author of urban fiction murdered with his common-law wife in their apartment
Ann Arbor Hospital murders Ann Arbor 1975 10 Murders of 10 patients by intravenous administration of curare drug at VA hospital by nurses Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez. [4][2]
Livernois–Fenkell riot Detroit 1975-08-01 2 Bar owner shot black teenager. Mob beat to death dishwasher who was Nazi concentration camp survivor
Rock Road massacre Farwell 1982-02-16 7 Murder of 7 members of the Post family by former Army sharpshooter [2][3]
Jeffrey Gorton Romulus
Flint		 1991-02-17
1986-11-09		 2 Convicted of rape and murder of a flight attendant and professor at UM-Flint
Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood Walker 1987 5 Nurses aides who killed five elderly women at Alpine Manor nursing homes
Murder of the DeLisle children Wyandotte 1989-08-03 4 Father killed his four children (ages 10 months to 8 years) by driving station wagon into the Detroit River
Royal Oak post office shootings Royal Oak 1991-11-14 5 Former employee opened fire at the Royal Oak Post Office, killing four employees, then himself
1997 Detroit shootings Detroit 1997-03-11 4 A gunman opened fire at a Comerica branch bank, killing two employees and one customer. He was then killed by police
Marvin Gabrion Cedar Springs 1997 1-5 Convicted murderer, suspected serial killer
Jack Kevorkian Waterford Township 1998-09-17 1+ Pathologist and euthanasia proponent convicted of second-degree murder for administering lethal injection of potassium chloride to Thomas Youk
Seth Privacky Muskegon 1998-11-29 5 At age 18, killed his parents, brother, brother's girlfriend and grandfather
2011 Grand Rapids shootings Grand Rapids 2011-07-07 8 Spree killing
Murders of Jourdan Bobbish and Jacob Kudla Detroit 2012-07 2 Two white teenagers tortured and murdered in Detroit by two black males
2016 Kalamazoo shootings Kalamazoo 2016-02-20 6 Shootings at an apartment complex, car dealership and restaurant
St. Joseph courthouse shooting St. Joseph 2016-07-11 3 Shooting by inmate at Berrien County Courthouse, killing two bailiffs and himself
Central Michigan University shooting Mount Pleasant 2018-03-02 2 19-year-old student James Eric Davis Jr. shot and killed parents when they arrived to take him home for spring break
2021 Oxford High School shooting Oxford 2021-11-30 4 School shooting perpetrated by sophomore Ethan Crumbley
2022 Detroit shootings Detroit 2022-08-22 3 19-year-old man opened fire in Detroit randomly killing three people over span of two hours

Serial killers

Listed in chronological order by date of earliest homicide

Incident Location Date Deaths Description Sources
Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck Grand Rapids 1949 3–17 Serial killer couple targeting widows and "lonely hearts" [2]
John Rodney McRae St. Clair Shores 1950-1987 2–5+ Serial killer convicted of murdering two boys and prime suspect in three others
Roland E. Clark Multiple 1954-1967 2 Medical doctor convicted of two counts of manslaughter
Henry Lee Lucas Michigan and Texas 1960–1983 3 confirmed, claimed over 250 Serial killer who claimed to have killed over 250 persons
Rudy Bladel Multiple 1963–1978 3–7 Serial killer responsible for murders of seven railway employees, convicted of three of them
Larry and Danny Ranes Kalamazoo 1964 1–5 Serial killers [5]
Michigan Murders Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti 1967-1969 7 + Murders of female college students by serial killer John Norman Collins, aka the Co-Ed Killer and the Ypsilanti Ripper, in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area [6][2][7]
Carl Eugene Watts Michigan and Texas 1974-1982 14-100+ Serial killer known as "The Sunday Morning Slasher"
Bigfoot Killer Detroit 1975 7 Serial killer who raped and murdered seven girls and women between February and October 1975
Anthony Guy Walker Lenawee County 1975-1986 6+ Serial killer responsible for at least six murders
Oakland County Child Killer Oakland County 1976-1977 4+ Serial killings of children [2]
Donald Gene Miller East Lansing 1977-1978 4 Serial killer known as "The East Lansing Serial Killer" [5][6][7]
Donald Murphy Detroit 1979–1980 2–6+ Serial killer convicted of murdering two women, confessed to killing at least six
Michael Darnell Harris Various 1981-1982 4–10 Serial killer and rapist
Richard Clarey New Buffalo 1984-04-15 3+ German-American serial killer and Neo-Nazi sympathizer
Benjamin Atkins Detroit 1991-1992 11 Serial killer and rapist known as "The Woodward Corridor Killer" who murdered 11 women
Leslie Allen Williams Oakland and Genesee Counties 1991-1992 4 Serial killer, rapist and necrophile convicted in the deaths of four teenage girls
John Eric Armstrong Detroit 1992-1999 5-11+ Serial killer convicted of killing five sex workers in Detroit
Shelly Brooks Detroit 2001-2006 7–20+ Serial killer murdered at least seven women
Elias Abuelazam Genesee County 2010 1-5 Israeli suspected of 18 stabbings resulting five deaths, convicted of one death
Deangelo Martin Detroit 2018-2019 4 Serial killer convicted of murdering four women and raping two others
Kenyel Brown Wayne County 2019-2020 6 Serial killer who committed suicide prior to trial

Single homicides

Incident Location Date Description Sources
James Strang St. James Township 1856-06-16 Religious leader, successor to Joseph Smith, shot three times in the back [2]
Fabian Fournier Bay City c. 1875 Lumberjack killed by a blow to the head with a mallet [2]
Gaspar Milazzo Detroit 1930-05-31 Organized crime figure murdered at the Vernor Highway Fish Market
Jerry Buckley Detroit 1930-07-23 Radio commentator shot and killed after successful campaign to recall Detroit mayor [2]
Tony Chebatoris Midland 1937-09-29 Bank robber who shot and killed a bystander while trying to escape; also the only man executed in Michigan [2]
Carson James Clawson 1950 Former Marine sergeant killed his father and buried him beneath a cow shed in Troy Township [2]
Shooting of Maurice Chenoweth Big Bay 1952-07-31 Shooting defended by John D. Voelker and later the basis of Anatomy of a Murder [2]
Murder of Aziz Hermiz Detroit 1956-02-10 Chaldean grocer murdered by the wife's paramour, wife found not guilty due to insanity
Reggie Harding Detroit 1972-09-02 Detroit Pistons player shot in the head
Murder of Dawn Magyar Chapin 1973-01-27 20-year-old woman abducted from a shopping center and found dead in woods [5]
Jimmy Hoffa Bloomfield Township 1975-07-30 Former president of the Teamsters union disappeared from meeting with organized crime figures, body never discovered
Richard Frederick Dixon Casco Township 1976-01-09 Convicted of 1971 hijacking of passenger flight from Detroit to Cuba and of 1976 murder of a South Haven police officer [2]
Francine Hughes Dansville 1977-03-09 Woman set fire to bed, killing abusive ex-husband, found not guilty by reason of insanity, later made into book and TV movie The Burning Bed [2][8]
Eddie Jefferson Detroit 1979-05-09 Jazz vocalist shot by a disgruntled dancer outside Baker's Keyboard Lounge [9]
Killing of Vincent Chin Highland Park 1982-06-19 Racially-motivated assault and murder of Chinese American draftsman by a Chrysler plant supervisor and a laid-off autoworker [10]
Murder of Aundria Bowman Hamilton 1989-03-11 Teenager who disappeared after accusing adoptive father of molesting her [11]
Shaka Senghor Detroit 1991 MIT fellow convicted of shooting a man
Death of Malice Green Detroit 1992-11-05 Green died of blunt force trauma in assault by Detroit police officers Walter Budzyn and Larry Nevers, both officers convicted and imprisoned [12]
Robert Hawkins Detroit 1993-11-28 Former Detroit Pistons player shot and killed in a crack house
Lowell Amos Detroit 1994-12 General Motors plant manager convicted of killing his third wife, later subject of TV movie called Black Widower
Murder of Scott Amedure Lake Orion 1995-03-09 Murder following appearance on The Jenny Jones Show episode "Revealing Same Sex Secret Crush", in which the victim revealed his same-sex attraction to the perpetrator [13]
Sharee Miller Mount Morris 1999-11 Woman convicted of plotting the murder of her husband over the Internet with her online lover [14]
Killing of Kayla Rolland Mount Morris 2000-02-29 Six-year-old girl shot at school by six-year-old classmate
Duane Thomas Detroit 2000-06 Welterweight boxer murdered over a drug dispute [15]
George Trapp Detroit 2002-01 NBA player stabbed in stomach in fight with roommate [16]
Blade Icewood Detroit 2005-04-19 Rapper fatally shot due to gang-related violence [17]
Nancy Seaman Oakland County 2005-05-10 Former teacher killed her husband with a hatchet, convicted despite claim of history of marital abuse
Proof Detroit 2006-04-11 Rapper shot and killed while playing billiards at a club
Murder of Laura Dickinson Ypsilanti 2006-12-13 Eastern Michigan University murdered in her dormitory room, scandal led to firing of university's president [18]
Murder of Tara Lynn Grant Macomb County 2007-02-09 Murdered and dismembered by her husband [19]
Murder of Jodi Parrack Constantine 2007-11-08 11-year-old girl kidnapped while riding her bicycle
Murder of Matt Landry Detroit 2009-08-09 21-year-old car jacked at an Eastpointe restaurant, found in an abandoned home in Detroit, shot execution style by 2 teens.
Murder of Jim Pouillon Owosso 2009-09-11 Activist shot while protesting against abortion in front of Owosso High School [20]
Murder of Jamar Pinkney Jr. Detroit 2009-11-16 Execution-style shooting of 15-year-old boy by his father [21]
Killing of Aiyana Jones Detroit 2010-05-16 Seven-year old girl shot and killed by police during raid, jury deadlock on involuntary manslaughter charge against officer [22]
Death of Jane Bashara Detroit 2012-01-24 Grosse Pointe marketing executive strangled by hitman hired by husband and left in back seat of her Mercedes-Benz SUV in an alley in Detroit [23]
Murder of Robert Cipriano Farmington Hills 2012-04-16 Murder committed by 19-year-old adopted son [24]
Murder of Jessica Heeringa Norton Shores 2013-04-26 25-year-old woman disappeared while working at an Exxon gas station [25]
Murder of Renisha McBride Dearborn Heights 2013-11-02 19-year-old woman crashed her car while intoxicated and was shot when knocking at a nearby house seeking assistance [26]
Killing of Collin Rose Detroit 2016-11-22 Wayne State police officer shot after stopping a bicyclist [27]
Robert Eddins Detroit 2016-12-20 NFL linebacker murdered in Detroit [28]
2017 Interstate 75 rock-throwing deaths Vienna Township 2017-10-18 Six-pound rock thrown by teenagers crashed through van windshield and killed passenger [29]
Killing of Patrick Lyoya Grand Rapids 2022-04-22 26-year-old refugee from Congo shot and killed during scuffle following vehicle stop [30]
Murder of Jim Matthews Chesterfield Township 2022-09-23 News-radio anchor beaten to death by friend of his live-in girlfriend

References

  1. ^ Bernstein, Arnie (2009). Bath massacre : America's first school bombing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-02470-4. OCLC 587638431.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Gary W. Barfknecht (1983). Murder, Michigan: Seventy Fascinating and Dramatic Murders That Have Violently Shaped the Dark Side of Michigan History. Friede Publications. ISBN 0960858814.
  3. ^ a b c d "Mass Slayings in Michigan". Detroit Free Press. April 6, 1990. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Greg Stejskal (February 3, 2011), The Murders at Ann Arbor's Veterans Hospital; What Went Right and What Ultimately Went Wrong in the Case, Tickle the Wire
  5. ^ a b c "Michigan's most infamous & chilling murders". WLNS. July 12, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Rachel Greco (October 17, 2021). "'The worst of the worst.' A look at five Michigan serial killers and their crimes". Lansing State Journal.
  7. ^ a b Rachel Greco (November 10, 2021). "In the Details: Podcast host examines crimes of Michigan serial killers". Livingston Daily Press & Argus. pp. A1, A4 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Anna Boots (July 9, 2020). ""The Burning Bed" Recalls the Case That Changed How Law Enforcement Treats Domestic Violence". The New Yorker.
  9. ^ "Jazzman slain at club; ex-partner is held". Detroit Free Press. May 10, 1979. pp. 3A, 19A – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Vincent Chin was killed 40 years ago. Here's why his case continues to resonate". NPR. June 19, 2022.
  11. ^ Carolyn Muyskens (December 22, 2021). "Bowman pleads to 1989 murder of adopted daughter". The Holland Sentinel.
  12. ^ Elisha Anderson (November 3, 2017). "25 years ago, Malice Green became the face of police brutality in Detroit". Detroit Free Press.
  13. ^ Lauren Kranc (May 11, 2020). "Trial by Media Re-Examines the Murder of Scott Amedure After a Talk Show Appearance". Esquire.
  14. ^ "Convicted killer Sharee Miller admits to planning husband's murder with an online lover". ABC news. February 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "Gunfire slays Thomas 'Kronk's toughest kid'". Detroit Free Press. June 15, 2000. pp. 1D, 9D – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Suzette Hackney (January 31, 2002). "Trapp family worries that killer will go free". Detroit Free Press. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "A rapper dies as he predicted: Violently; Gunfire catches up with Blade Icewood". Detroit Free Press. April 21, 2005. pp. 1B, 7B – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "University Officials Accused of Hiding Campus Homicide". The New York Times. June 24, 2007.
  19. ^ Charlie Langton (February 9, 2017). "A look back at the Steven Grant murder case of wife Tara after 10 years". FOX 2 Detroit.
  20. ^ "The Killing of Jim Pouillon". Catholic World Report. May 11, 2011.
  21. ^ "Father Sentenced In Son's Killing: Father Convicted Of Shooting Son In Vacant Lot". Click On Detroit. April 15, 2010.
  22. ^ Charlie LeDuff (November–December 2010). "What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?". Mother Jones.
  23. ^ George Hunter (August 18, 2020). "Bob Bashara, convicted of having wife killed, dies at 62". The Detroit News.
  24. ^ "Farmington Hills Man Pleads In Father's Beating Death". CBS News. June 17, 2013.
  25. ^ "Court affirms conviction in gas station clerk Jessica Heeringa's murder". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press. December 27, 2019.
  26. ^ "Michigan man resentenced to 15-30 years in fatal porch shooting of 19-year-old woman". Mlive.com. June 22, 2022.
  27. ^ David Jesse (November 23, 2016). "Wayne State campus police officer dies after being shot". Detroit Free Press.
  28. ^ Robert Snell (February 22, 2018). "Feds: Ex-NFL player executed by drug dealers". The Detroit News.
  29. ^ "3 teens sentenced in Clio rock-throwing case that 'shattered' victim's family". Mlive.com. August 9, 2021.
  30. ^ "Key hearing date set for former Grand Rapids officer accused in Lyoya's shooting death". Mlive.com. September 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.