25-year-old Dymond Leana Squires and 26-year-old Andrew Mack Johnson Jr., a Lansing based couple, are now headed to trial for the murder of an elderly man and the robbery of his home. The victim, 78-year-old John Abraham Sr., was a resident of Lansing who had lived in his home for over 20 years before being attacked and killed inside his house.
Records show that a call was placed to the Eaton County Sheriff’s department about an emergency situation at Abraham’s house. However, by the time deputies arrived at the scene, emergency responders were already there, and had pronounced the victim dead.
An investigation was opened into the death, which had been immediately labelled a homicide due to the manner of death. It wasn’t long before officers connected Squires to the crime. Officers say that at the time of the murder she was behind on her rent, and allegedly had a long standing relationship with Abraham’s adult son, for whom she had been a caretaker.
At the time of his arrest, police say that Johnson had suffered a back injury and was unable to find a replacement job that provided any kind of stable income. Between the pair, claims the prosecutor, their money troubles were reason enough to suspect them of a robbery motive. This suspicion was reinforced once police began to interview Johnson after his arrest. One detective described the encounter as Johnson “vomiting information.”
According to Johnson’s admission to police, he and Squires broke into Abraham’s house together. But while he says he headed down to the basement to “crack the safe,” Squires stayed upstairs and murdered Abraham. Allegedly, Squires killed Abraham by hitting him in the head with a hammer, slitting his throat, and then kicking him and repeatedly stomping on his head.
Squires and Johnson were both charged with Felony Murder and Safebreaking. Under Michigan law, ‘Safebreaking’ is handled in much the same way as bank robbery. Felony Murder refers to Murder that is committed during the commission of another felony. Both charges are punishable by up to life in prison.
Squires elected to waive her rights to the preliminary hearing, resultantly she was bound over for trial in the Eaton County Circuit Court. With regard to Johnson, the prosecutor’s office asked Judge Julie Reincke to bind Johnson over for trial on an open murder charge instead of a felony murder charge. The Judge agreed, despite objections from Johnson’s defense attorney. The pair are both being held on $10 million bonds, and their next hearings have been scheduled for February 17th.
Murder, whether it’s Open Murder, Felony Murder, First or Second Degree Murder, is a very serious charge in Michigan. Anyone formally accused of taking someone else’s life has a long, uphill battle ahead of them. Which is why, if you or a loved one have been charged with murder, you need to call us immediately at (866) 766-5245.
The skilled and effective defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm have spent decades defending people all over Michigan against murder charges, and charges for other serious crimes like Sexual Assault, Arson, Drug trafficking and gun crimes.