Murder Charge Vs. Landlord In Tenant Death Tossed
ALLEGAN, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - A murder charge against a 79-year-old western Michigan landlord in the fatal shooting of his 37-year-old tenant has been dismissed.
MLive.com reported that Marion Conley of Allegan County's Otsego Township was released from custody on Wednesday after the decision, which was made due to a lack of evidence. A judge earlier met with lawyers in the case.
The Allegan County Sheriff's Department said Jody Snyder was found dead March 9 at his home in Valley Township. A detective testified that Snyder was shot twice in the head with a .22 caliber handgun.
Following the death, investigators said Conley earlier threatened to kill Snyder because of the condition of the house and late payments on Snyder's land contract.
Conley's wife told police that the night before Snyder's body was found, her husband told her to tell anyone who asked about his gun that she didn't know anything about it, Mlive.com. When his wife looked for the gun case, it was gone, according to court testimony.
Defense lawyer Bob Champion had argued that one of the witnesses against Conley wasn't credible and evidence didn't place Conley at the home at the time of the killing.
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