Months after a Milford man was found fatally stabbed on New Year’s Eve, a Sterling Heights resident accused in the killing is now headed to Oakland County Circuit Court. Matthew Molinaro, 29, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of 26-year-old Peyton Bilbia and remains held in the Oakland County Jail. A district judge has set his circuit court arraignment for June 9.
Molinaro was bound over following a recent preliminary exam at 52-1 District Court in Novi, which shifted the case from the local court to the county circuit docket, according to HometownLife. That report notes the arraignment is scheduled to take place before Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Yasmine Poles.
Investigation details
Milford police say the case began as a welfare check on Dec. 31. Officers forced their way into an apartment in the 800 block of East Summit Street and found Bilbia inside with multiple stab wounds.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on Molinaro as a suspect and tracked him down later that night, arresting him at a club in Royal Oak, according to WXYZ.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald called the killing “a tragic reminder that the danger from domestic violence does not end when a relationship ends,” a statement from her office quoted by WXYZ reported. Prosecutors say Bilbia’s girlfriend had secured a personal protection order against Molinaro earlier in December.
Charges and penalties
Molinaro faces one count of first-degree premeditated murder. Under Michigan law, a conviction on that charge typically carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without eligibility for parole in most adult cases. The statutory framework and age-based sentencing rules for first-degree murder are detailed in Michigan criminal bench materials and related case law, per Michigan Courts.
Victim and community
Bilbia, 26, was honored by family and friends in an obituary and at a January funeral, and reporting notes that a GoFundMe was launched to help cover related expenses. Milford Police Chief Scott Tarasiewicz has said investigators believe the attack was targeted and that the victim and suspect knew each other, according to Macomb Daily.
Molinaro is set to appear for arraignment on June 9 in Oakland County Circuit Court, HometownLife reports, and the case remains under active investigation as prosecutors prepare for the next round of hearings. Court filings and summer court dates will determine whether the case ultimately moves toward trial.
