Murder. Death. Kill. Homicide. No matter what you want to call it, it happens everywhere, including in Northern Michigan.
During the past year, people have been on edge for many reasons. Although true, has that led to more homicide cases for law enforcement? With multiple murder cases currently in the court system stemming from incidents in 2020 and one so far in 2021, it is a legitimate question.
For that reason, the Cadillac News posed the question to local and regional law enforcement agencies if they believe there has been an uptick in murders in the region. The answers they gave are somewhat mixed.
CADILLAC — A 57-year-old Buckley man was arraigned Tuesday in 28th Circuit Court on charges alleging he murdered his ex-girlfriend in a Buckley home last summer.
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CADILLAC â The twice adjourned prelim examination was finally waived Tuesday by the 57-year-old Buckley man charged with murder last summer.
With the prelim examination waived, Alex Keith Melser will have his case bound over to 28th Circuit Court, but his arraignment in the higher court had not been scheduled as of Tuesday. Wexford County Clerk Alaina Nyman said it likely won t be scheduled until the week of Jan. 18.
Mesler was charged in June with one count of first-degree murder for his connection with an incident on June 29 in Buckley. A habitual offender fourth offense notice also was added to the charge. If convicted, Mesler faces a potential life sentence with no chance of parole.
CADILLAC â The preliminary exam in the Buckley murder case was adjourned a second time after a recent change in legal counsel for the defendant, Alex Keith Mesler.
This is the second time the preliminary exam in Wexford County s 84th District Court was adjourned. The first time was on Nov. 9 and was due to issues related to witnesses, according to Wexford County Prosecutor Corey Wiggins. Wiggins, however, didn t go into details about those issues.
The case was recently adjourned on Dec. 11 after Mesler s former attorney, Bill Barnett, was released from representation on Dec. 3. The motion earlier this month, made by Barnett, was filed with and heard in district court on Dec. 2. The ordered to release him was entered on Dec. 3. The motion was made due to a conflict Barnett had, but Wiggins had no other comment regarding the conflict.