A crime spree was labelled “the work of God” by the defendant
28-year-old Matthew Todd Steppenwolf of Plainwell is facing ten felony charges for a series of violent criminal acts he is accused of committing. However, if you ask Steppenwolf why he did what he is accused of, he will tell you that he was only doing God’s work.
Steppenwolf’s charges include a wide variety of crimes. He is accused of Armed Robbery, Carjacking, Second Degree Arson, Ethnic Intimidation, Discharge of a Firearm in or at a Building, and Felony Firearm. These charges are the result of what police are calling a “violent crime spree” that appears to be Steppenwolf’s reaction to mounting problems in his marriage, Public Safety Officer Tim Millard said in his police report.
According to police reports, Steppenwolf admitted to police that it started when he robbed a Citgo Gas Station in Comstock Township, making off with less than 10 dollars worth of gas. He then went to a house located on East G Avenue in Cooper Township, where he attempted to set the home on fire using kerosene. The reason, he explained to police, was because a woman who lived in that house had injured his mother in a motorcycle accident in September of 2016.
Steppenwolf says that he knew the woman who injured his mother lived in that house because he had followed her home after she was released from the jail following the crash. Police reports from the interview reveal that Steppenwolf simply wanted to “do good” by hurting the insurance company involved in his mother’s accident. However, court records show that the family is already suing the insurance company.
He then moved on to a home on Monterey Drive in the city of Kalamazoo, where he fired shots at the house with a 20 gauge shotgun. The reason he gave police for why was because he believed that his wife was cheating on him with one of the men living inside the home. Residents of that home reported seeing him in a red minivan, watching the home on numerous occasions before the shooting incident
Witnesses say that he shouted obscenities at the home, fired more shots, and then threw a Molotov cocktail at the house.
Betty Brewer, a resident of the house, says she was lying in bed when she heard the first gunshots. She crawled around on the floor, locking the house doors, however she stood up for a moment in her kitchen and as a result, was shot.
After the shooting, Steppenwolf admitted to police that he carjacked a woman, also in Kalamazoo. The woman told officers that she tried to fight Steppenwolf, but he punched her repeatedly in the face and grabbed the keys to her car out of her hand. He drove the woman’s Chevy Malibu across town before crashing it into a tree.
The police officer who responded to the scene says that Steppenwolf was behaving erratically, and admitted to smoking a “cush” of marijuana. He also apologized to the officer and told him “God is awesome!” Steppenwolf’s red minivan was found at the scene of the carjacking. Inside it officers found shotgun shells, Steppenwolf’s ID, cigarettes, a shotgun and fuel matching that used in the Molotov cocktail.
A preliminary examination has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 15th, to determine whether or not Steppenwolf will be bound over for trial. Until then, the judge has ordered that he undergo a psychiatric examination. We will continue to watch this case as it develops and keep you updated with new information.