Yesterday, Samantha Rae Booth was brought into a Royal Oak district courtroom for the first day of a two-day preliminary examination in the October killing of 83-year-old David Graham Ong. Booth, 35, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, felony assault and multiple counts of resisting and obstructing, charges that prosecutors say grew out of a welfare check at a home on Sheridan Drive. The case has rattled the quiet neighborhood and kept residents watching each court date closely.
Court appearance and schedule
Escorted by deputies, Booth appeared before the judge as the preliminary exam opened, a scene captured in a photo gallery from The Detroit News. Prosecutors had already set the hearing to run June 25-26 and told the court they expect to call nine to ten witnesses, according to New Media Detroit, which also reported that Booth was found competent to move forward after a February review.
Prosecutors' account of the night
According to prosecutors, Booth was babysitting a toddler on Oct. 24, 2025, when the child’s mother asked the child’s grandfather, David Ong, to check on the home. Authorities say Ong was later discovered in the basement with multiple stab wounds. Police allege Booth then attacked the child’s uncle as he tried to get the child to safety, chased them with a screwdriver and removed her clothing before officers were able to detain her. Those details were reported by Court TV.
Victim, family and reaction
Ong was pronounced dead at the scene. Local coverage has noted his long ties to the area and the shock that followed news of his killing. Prosecutors say the family had known Booth for years and that investigators found suspected psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana in her purse when she was arrested, according to New Media Detroit. Neighbors and community leaders have voiced their grief as the case works its way, slowly and publicly, through the courts.
What’s next
The district court’s preliminary examination is the step where a judge decides whether there is probable cause to send the case up to Oakland County Circuit Court for trial, a process outlined on the City of Royal Oak’s court pages. If the judge finds probable cause, the case is bound over to circuit court for further pretrial hearings and, potentially, a jury trial. Under the Michigan Penal Code, first-degree murder carries a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, as set out in state law.
The hearing is set to today, with prosecutors prepared to present their witnesses across the two-day session. Oakland County prosecutors and Royal Oak police have not issued new public statements beyond earlier filings and press remarks tied to the case.
