In 2014, three teenagers were convicted, one at a time, for the murder of Dustyn Frolka. Samantha Grigg, Tyrel Bredernitz, and Brendan Heim all went to prison. After all, they were the three teens who were present when it happened. They picked Dustyn Frolka up, drove him around to different ATMs where they forced him to withdraw money for them, and physically assaulted him with brass knuckles. They were the three teens in the moving vehicle that Dustyn Frolka leapt from, in an effort to get away, before dying of his injuries on the side of the highway. But as it turns out, they weren’t the only ones involved.
According to Bath Township Police Detective Sergeant Gary Smith, there were quite a few people involved. They may not all have been present when the assault and robbery went down. But according to the law, if one is present for the planning portion, then there is foreknowledge. And under the law, that makes one just as guilty as the one who committed the crime.
Frolka is currently facing three felony charges
Which is the case for 18-year-old Christopher John Foley, who was 16 at the time of Frolka’s death. However, under Michigan law, a charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery allows the defendant to be tried as an adult, even if they are underaged at the time. He is currently facing three felony charges, namely the aforementioned conspiracy to commit armed robbery, accessory after the fact to a felony, and receiving and concealing stolen property.
According to the detectives on the case, it took a long time to get the charges in order because Foley wasn’t actually in the vehicle when the robbery and assault took place. But he is alleged to have been very much a part of the planning process. And he apparently benefited from the stolen money afterwards. And he wasn’t the only one.
According to police, there were several other teens involved as well. Others who allegedly helped to plan what happened to Dustyn Frolka. Others who enjoyed the spoils, as it were, of the illicit enterprise. And so, regardless of whether or not they were actually around when it happened, say the police, they will most likely also face charges at some point in the future. The investigation is still ongoing.
Foley’s preliminary hearing has been scheduled for August 4th in Washtenaw County. At the time that the warrant was issued for his arrest, he was already in custody in Lenawee County on unrelated charges.