Man Shoots Family and Burns the Bodies
Murder horrifies people. Even more so if the victims are children. But what society in general really seems to struggle with is how the victim’s body is handled after the fact. Which is why Corey Lee LaValley who shot a family of three people and then burned their bodies, is likely to face some very harsh judges in the court of public opinion long before he is ever convicted in a court of law.
The events came as a surprise to everyone who knew the family. LaValley, who has a criminal history that includes charges for drugs, theft and assault, is accused of shooting his girlfriend and her two children, and then later that day, setting fire to the mobile home that contained their bodies.
33-year-old Debra Sheppard; her 12-year-old daughter, Emma McComber; and 10-year-old Corey LaValley Jr., were all pronounced dead of gunshot wounds prior to the fire that consumed their home. Their bodies were discovered by Dorr Township firefighters and Allegan County sheriff’s deputies who were investigating the fire.
According to detectives investigating the murder, LaValley actually told a number of people what he had done that day. Although it is not currently known who he told or why he shared these grisly details with them, police have spoken to a number of people who claim LaValley told them he had shot and killed his girlfriend and the two kids before returning to the trailer and burning it to the ground.
He was arrested in the Charlotte area later that same day and then arraigned in the Allegan County District Court on charges of open murder, second-degree arson, and felony firearm. Under Michigan law, open murder means that the prosecutor is leaving the decision to the jury as to whether the defendant should be charged with first or second degree murder.
Should LaValley be convicted of first degree, the punishment is mandatory life in prison, without the possibility of parole. A conviction of second degree murder could still be punishable by any number of years including life, but parole is still an option.
Second degree arson is a very serious felony punishable by up to twenty years in prison and a possible fine of up to $20,000, or 3 times the value of the property, whichever is greater, or both. The punishment for Felony Firearm charges change based on whether this is a first, second or third conviction. If this ends up being LaValley’s first felony firearm conviction, he could face an additional two years in prison. However, when faced with a possible life sentence, two years doesn’t seem like much by comparison.