Two men connected to the New Year's Day murder of a foster family in Washtenaw County, Michigan, have been ordered to stand trial, with the proceedings centered around a harrowing case involving a botched kidnap attempt that led to the deaths of a foster mother and her father, and the severe injury of her husband. In the court hearing that took place yesterday, which ClickOnDetroit reported on, Gregory Callhan, 37, and Keith Finley, 60, went before Washtenaw County Judge Cedric Simpson, who determined enough evidence existed for the case to proceed to trial. The mastermind of the crime, Shuvonne Vinson, did not appear but has a competency hearing set for late May.
During the proceedings, Jeffrey Bernhard delivered heart-rending testimony detailing the night of the attack, recalling his wife's "scream of terror" and identifying Vinson even before seeing her face, upon hearing the threats previously made related to his foster daughter. Bernhard suffered gunshot wounds that resulted in the loss of vision in his right eye, and the tragic loss of his wife and father-in-law, the detailed account of the events Bernhard provided indicated that Vinson orchestrated the crime, enlisting the support of Callhan and Finley in a plan that tragically spiraled out of control, leading to bloodshed and heartbreak, as reported by The Detroit News.
Evidence presented in court included testimony from Northfield Township Police Sgt. James Basso, who relayed Callhan's admission that he was aware of Vinson's intent to kill upon their arrival at the Bernhards' home. Vinson issued him a shotgun to assert control during the crime, while Callhan admitted to pilfering jewelry from the residence, but claimed he did not know who fired the shots that killed the victims, as he had stepped out. Meanwhile, Deputy Bryan Tripp testified to finding blood spatter on Callhan's shoes, alongside credit cards and jewelry belonging to the Bernhard family amongst Callhan's possessions, further corroborating the grim narrative of the night's events, as gathered from the accounts in WXYZ.
The revelation that the suspects' vehicle housed not only the stolen items but also the firearms used in the crime came to light during the investigation, with a 9mm handgun matching the empty shell casings found at the crime scene being recovered from Vinson upon her arrest.
