Michigan Police Nab Suspected Serial Killer

[odette]

Michigan Police Nab Suspected Serial Killer

FOX NEWS
Associated Press

Friday, August 31, 2007

LANSING, Mich. — A suspected serial killer has been arrested in the deaths of five women in the city in just over a month — and he is also connected to an assault on a woman whose dog ran the attacker off, police said.

Local, state and federal investigators "have taken a collective sigh of relief," police Lt. Judy Horning said.

The man, whose name was not released, was not expected to be charged or arraigned until at least Friday.

"The despicable individual responsible for this heinous rampage through our community has been captured," Mayor Virg Bernero said. "Our nightmare is over."

Police had been looking for clues and help from the public in five homicides since late July, including two this week, in the state capital, a city of 114,000 about 75 miles northwest of Detroit. ...

continued: Michigan Police Nab Suspected Serial Killer

[odette]

Serial killer 'nightmare is over'

CNN
August 31, 2007

LANSING, Michigan (AP) -- A suspected serial killer has been arrested in the deaths of five women in Lansing, Michigan, and an assault on a sixth whose dog ran the attacker off, police said.

One of the victims was the mother of a City Council member. ...

continued: Serial killer 'nightmare is over'


Police say their suspect matches a sketch
released earlier this week.

[odette]

Lansing police: 'Serial killer' caught

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha
August 31, 2007

A serial killer police say rampaged across Lansing for nearly five weeks - attacking at least six women and killing five - is in custody, authorities said Thursday.

Police did not release the name of the man they believe killed Ruth Hallman, 76; Deborah Cooke, 36; Debra Renfors, 46; Sandra Eichorn, 64; and Karen Delgado-Yates, 41, between July 26 and Aug. 28. Investigators also believe the man beat and injured a 56-year-old woman Tuesday, but her dog chased him away.

The man, depicted in a police sketch released this week, was arrested between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday for a violation of the state's sex-offender registry, Chief Mark Alley said. He would not provide further details about any of the crimes.

excerpt
The man, depicted in a police sketch released this week, was arrested between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday for a violation of the state's sex-offender registry, Chief Mark Alley said. He would not provide further details about any of the crimes.

"I am confident we have the right person in custody," Alley said, describing the suspect as a "serial killer."

Five women dead
Ruth Hallman, 76, of Lapeer Street, found July 26

Deborah Kaye Cooke, 36, found Aug. 7 in Hunter Park

Debra Renfors, 46, N. Washington Ave., found Aug. 9

Sandra Eichorn, 64, S. Genesee Drive, found Aug. 27

Karen Louise Delgado-Yates, 41, Hickory Street, found Aug. 29

continued: Lansing police: 'Serial killer' caught

[odette]

Serial killing suspect arrested

5 women dead in Lansing; attack on 6th broke case

DETROIT FREE PRESS
BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF
August 31, 2007

LANSING -- The beating deaths of five women in five weeks -- four inside homes -- put neighborhoods on edge and sent police searching for a possible serial killer.

Thursday, they said they'd captured one, thanks to a sixth victim who survived Tuesday because her dog scared off her attacker.

And what had been a summer of fear -- especially for women who live alone -- was calmed.

"A cloud has been lifted from our city," Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said at a news conference. "Our nightmare is over."

Lansing Police Chief Mark Alley said the suspect would be charged in all five homicides and the assault.

Alley said the description of the man from the 56-year-old woman who survived was crucial to breaking the case. Alley said she was recovering well. He would not provide details about the suspect, but a composite drawing released this week indicated a male in his 30s. ...

continued: Serial killing suspect arrested


Karen Delgado-Yates was killed Wednesday.

[odette]

Victims all lived alone, cops say; survivor out of hospital

DETROIT FREE PRESS
BY SUZETTE HACKNEY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
August 31, 2007

The crimes all appeared to fit a profile. The victims were women who lived alone and were beaten.

But Thursday, Lansing police said residents could rest a little easier. A man authorities say is responsible for five homicides and one assault starting in late July and continuing through Wednesday had been arrested.

The spree by day and victims:

• July 26: Ruth Hallman, 76, a neighborhood activist and mother of Lansing Councilwoman Carol Wood, was found beaten in her West Lapeer Street home. She died from the injuries two days later. Hallman had long stood for safe streets and often provided information to police about drug houses.

• Aug. 7: Deborah Kaye Cooke, 36. Her body was found in Hunter Park on the city's east side. Officers were on routine patrol about 4:30 a.m. when they spotted her body next to a tree. She was bloodied and beaten in the face and naked below the waist.

• Aug. 9: Debra Renfors, 46, was found dead in her new home in the 1000 block of North Washington in the Old Town district. Friends said Renfors was trying to leave a life of prostitution and would clean homes to avoid the temptation of returning to the streets. She moved from Mt. Clemens to Lansing about seven years ago.

• Monday: Sandra Eichorn, 64, was found dead in a home she was renting in the 1800 block of South Genesee on the west side. Eichorn, a General Motors Corp. plant retiree, had been renting the house for about a year and lived by herself. She was a NASCAR fan.

• Tuesday: A 56-year-old woman was assaulted in her home in the 200 block of Jones Street on the east side. The woman was able to call police from her home after the assault. Police said the attacker, who claimed to be looking for work, entered her back door and struck her in the head.

The woman's dog scared off the man and he fled. Police said the woman's description -- and evidence inside the home -- led them to the suspect. Police would not identify the victim, who has been released from the hospital.

• Wednesday: Karen Delgado-Yates, 41, was found injured in a vacant house in the 1100 block of Hickory Street. Investors interested in buying the house found Delgado-Yates. She died on the way to the hospital. Delgado-Yates also had a history of prostitution and had lived in a homeless shelter for a while.

Victims all lived alone, cops say; survivor out of hospital

Contact SUZETTE HACKNEY at 313-222-6614 or shac kney@freepress.com. The Lansing State Journal contributed to this report.

[odette]

Details on How Local Murder Suspect Was Arrested

WLNS - 6NEWS
VIDEO

The big break in this case came just a couple days ago from one woman under attack who Lansing police are calling a heroine. It is quite remarkable, one woman and her dog being credited by police for helping take a serial killer off the streets. When the dog's owner was being attacked, police say 5-year-old Cheyenne charged at the attacker, barking, forcing him to leave. The victim in that incident, from Jones Street on Tuesday, was badly hurt, but she was able to give police a good description of the attacker, and that's the big break that put an alleged killed behind bars. ...

continued: Details on How Local Murder Suspect Was Arrested

[odette]

Murder Arrest Coverage Pt. 1

WLNS 6NEWS
Murder Arrest Coverage Pt. 1 Video
August 31, 2007

Lansing police announced that they have arrested the person responsible for five recent homicides in Lansing. You heard it here first. The man behind the rash of attacks is in the Lansing jail. The Lansing police chief says that women in Lansing can sleep easy. He says it took the joint effort of the Lansing Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the FBI, but they now have this killer in custody. The chief says that the man was arrested Tuesday night on unrelated charges, but that this case has moved quick and they're now confident that he's responsible for the string of attacks during the past few weeks.

Mark Alley, Lansing Police Chief: "We brought him in on the 28th in violation of the sex registry. That was the charge. He was definitely a person of interest. We were out actively looking for him, and then we were able to arrest him on that charge. We were able to get together additional information which really broke through this morning. He went from being a person of interest to the prime suspect this morning." ...

continued: Murder Arrest Coverage Pt. 1

[odette]

Carol Wood remembers ‘Momie’


Ruth Hallman was photographed around
5 p.m. on the day before she was assaulted
in her home. With her grandson, Jason Wood,
who is Carol Wood’s son, and his daughter,
Emily. Photo courtesy of Carol Wood

LANSING CITY PULSE
Written by T.M. Schultz
Wednesday, 08 August 2007

Carol Wood is sitting barefoot and in a denim house dress in her tiny living room on West Lapeer Street on a bright Friday afternoon. It’s been two days since her mother, community activist Ruth Hallman, was buried.

From her living room window you can see her mother’s flower-filled front porch and well-tended yard next door. The two small city lots stand shoulder to shoulder in the midst of a tough part of a Lansing neighborhood that Hallman fought hard to reclaim from drugs and crime.

Hallman, 76, was attacked on July 26 in broad daylight in her home of almost 50 years. The beating was so severe that Hallman had to have part of her brain removed during surgery at Sparrow Hospital. She never regained consciousness, although Wood saw her mother’s eyes flutter open a few times and felt an occasional squeeze from her hand.

Hallman died on July 28 at Sparrow Hospital surrounded by her family and friends. ...

continued: Carol Wood remembers ‘Momie’


1953: Hallman with her two daughters,
Carleen (in her arms) and Carol, age 3,
outside their rowhouse on an old stretch
of West Michigan Avenue between Pine
and Sycamore streets. Photo courtesy of Carol Wood

[odette]

'Brutal' death is a shock to neighborhood

A GM retiree, victim recalled as 'good woman'

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha
Published August 29, 2007

Teri Steele sat on the front steps of her house Tuesday morning taking drags from a cigarette and, she said, feeling numb.

Steele's friend, 64-year-old Sandra Eichorn, was found dead Monday in the house next door.

"I'm still in shock," said Steele, 50, who wore a straw hat bearing the NASCAR logo. "I just can't believe it."

Steele said detectives told her it was "a very brutal, brutal (crime)." ...

continued: 'Brutal' death is a shock to neighborhood


A killing in the community: Lansing residents
Milton Jacobs (in back) and Teri Steele are
on their front porch Tuesday as police guard
a possible crime scene next door on South
Genesee Drive. Their neighbor, Sandra Eichorn,
64, was found dead Monday evening.
(Photo by ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal)

[odette]

Neighbors back outside, relieved after suspect held

Matthew Miller and Jeremy Steele
Lansing State Journal
August 31, 2007

On a normal day, it wouldn't be exceptional that Ray Reyes' children were playing on a trampoline in the yard of his Jones Street home.

On Thursday afternoon, it was.

"This is the first time they've been outdoors," Reyes said, the first time since Tuesday, when a 56-year-old woman was attacked in a house across the street.

Police say they've caught the man responsible for that attack and for the killings of five women in Lansing over the past five weeks.

Reyes, like many of his neighbors, said he's relieved.

"There's been a real odd silence going through the east side," said Neil Brackstone, a neighbor who was sitting on Reyes' porch. "It's everybody wondering what's going to happen next." ...

continued: Neighbors back outside, relieved after suspect held


S. Genesee Homicide - Lansing Police Officer
Dave Blackman at the scene Tuesday morning.
Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

[odette]

Hickory Street Homicide - Lansing police on the scene of a homicide on
Hickory Street.
Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

Lansing State Journal

[odette]

Alleged Lansing serial killer was recent parolee

By CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
August 31, 2007

LANSING — Matthew Macon, 27, a parolee, was named by police today as the suspect in custody in connection with the murders of five women and an assault against a sixth. ...

continued: Alleged Lansing serial killer was recent parolee


Suspected serial killer Matthew Macon.
(Photo courtesy of Lansing State Journal, lsj.com)

[odette]

Matthew Macon named as 'serial killer' suspect

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha
August 31, 2007

Lansing police say they have Matthew Emmanuel Macon in custody in connection with the recent homicides.

Police said he is expected to be charged by the end of the day with the homicide of Sandra Eichorn and an assault on Jones Street Tuesday.

Police have said Macon is a suspect in the killing of killed Ruth Hallman, 76; Deborah Cooke, 36; Debra Renfors, 46; Sandra Eichorn, 64; and Karen Delgado-Yates, 41, between July 26 and Aug. 28. Investigators also believe the man beat and injured a 56-year-old woman Tuesday, but her dog chased him away.

continued: Matthew Macon named as 'serial killer' suspect

[odette]

Police identify suspect in Lansing killings; add 6th homicide

The Associated Press
By DAVID EGGERT
8/31/2007, 3:44 p.m. EDT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Police on Friday identified the suspect they have in custody on suspicion of killing five women in Michigan's capital city this year, and said they also will seek charges against him for a sixth killing from 2004.

Lansing Police Chief Mark Alley said murder and assault charges were being pursued against Matthew Emmanuel Macon, 27, of Lansing. Macon was paroled from prison June 26. He had been serving a minimum two-year sentence for larceny from a person. ...

continued: Police identify suspect in Lansing killings; add 6th homicide

[odette]

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - MICHIGAN - MATTHEW EMMANUEL MACON
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION - OTIS (Offender Tracking Information System)


MATTHEW EMMANUEL MACON

Dept. Of Corrections - Michigan - MATTHEW EMMANUEL MACON -

[odette]

"Serial killer" suspect's father hopes it's not him

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha
Published August 31, 2007
Evening Update

A man Lansing police have in custody in connection with recent homicides has a lengthy criminal history and juvenile criminal sexual conduct convictions.

Police said they expect to charge Matthew Emmanuel Macon, 27, of Lansing with the homicide of Sandra Eichorn and an assault on Jones Street Tuesday. No arraignment will be held today.

Macon's father, Jim Henry Macon Jr. said he found out today that his son, "Chilly," had been arrested.

"I'm just in disbelief," he said. ...

continued: "Serial killer" suspect's father hopes it's not him

[odette]

Victims of Suspected Serial Killer

WILX
Reporter: Lori Dougovito
Last Updated: 6:39 PM
August 31, 2007

Five females murdered, one attacked since July, and Lansing Police say they have the serial killer behind bars. ...

Victims of Suspected Serial Killer
Friends and Family Reaction
Friends and Family Reaction, Timeline

continued: Victims of Suspected Serial Killer

[odette]

Mich. Serial Killing Suspect Identified

FORBES
Associated Press
By DAVID EGGERT
08.31.07, 8:50 PM ET

LANSING, Mich. - A prison parolee and sex offender is suspected of killing five women in the city in a little more than a month and could face charges in a sixth death from 2004, authorities said Friday.

Murder and assault charges were being pursued against Matthew Emmanuel Macon, 27, of Lansing, who was paroled from state prison June 26, said Police Chief Mark Alley. ...

excerpt
He was arrested Tuesday in connection with the deaths this summer of Ruth Hallman, 76; Deborah Cooke, 36; Debra Renfors, 46; Sandra Eichorn, 64; and Karen Yates, 41. He also may be charged with the 2004 death of Barbara Jean Tuttle, 45, authorities said. Tuttle and Renfors were found dead in the same house.

continued: Mich. Serial Killing Suspect Identified

[odette]

2003 SUSPECT

Lansing State Journal
August 30, 2007

In the summer of 2003, Lansing police investigated a series of assaults on the city’s west side, in which they believed a man targeted middle-aged and older women living alone.
The suspect, who police never caught, would ask the victims if they needed him to do work around the house before attacking them.

cont. 2003 suspect


Composite released in July 2003 of serial
rapist and assault suspect.

[odette]

Police see similarities to attacks in city in '03

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha, Christine Rook
and Derek Wallbank
Published August 30, 2007

Another woman is dead in Lansing - the fifth unsolved killing since late July, and the city's 14th homicide victim this year. And now police and residents wonder if the attacks are related to a string of unsolved 2003 assaults. ...

EXCERPT
"Suspect never caught
In the summer of 2003, Lansing police investigated a series of assaults on the city's west side in which a man appeared to target middle-aged and older women living alone. A composite sketch of that suspect appears strikingly similar to a sketch police released Tuesday.

The 2003 suspect, who police never caught, would ask the victims if they needed him to do work around the house before attacking them. Police said Tuesday's attacker also claimed to be looking for work.

In the three 2003 incidents, which occurred within about a week of each other, the man assaulted an 80-year-old woman, beat and sexually assaulted a 62-year-old woman, and tried to attack a 49-year-old woman but her dog scared him off.

Alley said Tuesday's victim, who was assaulted at her 222 Jones St. home, gave detectives valuable information about the suspect, which led to the detailed composite sketch released the same day.

She called 911 from her home, where the man entered her back door and attacked her, striking her in the head.

The woman's dog, a 5-year-old shepherd mix, heard the commotion, charged the man and he fled, Alley said.

Frank Manista, who lives three blocks from Monday's homicide on South Genesee Drive and whose neighbor was the 80-year-old woman assaulted in 2003, said he and other neighbors have been trying to find the sketch police handed out in 2003."

continued: Police see similarities to attacks in city in '03

[odette]

Attacker took her best friend - her mom

Wood says mother was great role model

From Lansing State Journal
Tom Lambert
Published August 5, 2007

Carol Wood's mother and best friend Ruth Hallman was brutally beaten on July 26, Wood's birthday.

Hallman, 76, president of the Genesee Neighborhood Association, had been attacked that morning in her West Lapeer Street home; she died three days later at Sparrow Hospital.

When it came time to go through her mother's belongings, Wood was adamant about finding the birthday card her mother didn't have a chance to give her that day.

After some searching, she found the card. Its message ended with: "I could not exist without you. All the love I have, Mommie." ...

continued: Attacker took her best friend - her mom

[odette]

Parolee Linked to Killing of 5 Women in Michigan Capital

NEW YORK TIMES
By NICK BUNKLEY
September 1, 2007

DETROIT, Aug. 31 — A paroled sex offender was identified on Friday as the man whom the police suspect of attacking and killing five women in Lansing, including an activist whose daughter is on the City Council. A sixth woman survived the attacks.

The authorities in Lansing said they were looking into whether the suspect, Matthew E. Macon, 27, who was arrested on Tuesday night on an unrelated warrant, is responsible for attacks in 2003 and 2004 that coincided with two periods when Mr. Macon was on parole after being jailed for a larceny conviction from 2001.

At least some victims this summer, as well as in 2003, were sexually assaulted, the authorities said. ...

continued: Parolee Linked to Killing of 5 Women in Michigan Capital

[odette]

Mich. Serial Killing Suspect Identified

ASSOCIATED PRESS
By DAVID EGGERT – 1 hour ago


LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A prison parolee and sex offender was identified as the man suspected of killing five women in the city in a little more than a month, and he could face charges in a sixth death from 2004, authorities said Friday.

excerpt:
"Macon was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of not reporting to his parole officer and not registering as a sex offender, and on a breaking and entering warrant. He could face charges in the deaths this summer of Ruth Hallman, 76; Deborah Cooke, 36; Debra Renfors, 46; Sandra Eichorn, 64; and Karen Yates, 41. A number of the victims were beaten."

(This version CORRECTS that Macon was arrested on suspicion of not reporting to his parole officer, not registering as a sex offender and on a breaking and entering warrant, instead of arrested in connection with the five women's deaths.) The Associated Press

continued: Mich. Serial Killing Suspect Identified

[dallasvic]

This guy need to be sentenced to death.He had been to prison, got out and was on parole, and still did this.he does not to live among us. To The Victims Families

[odette]

Man held in killings was out on parole
Suspect in beating deaths of 5 women has lengthy record

DETROIT FREE PRESS
BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF
September 1, 2007

LANSING -- A 27-year-old man accused of murdering five Lansing women in five weeks had a long criminal record as a juvenile -- including two sexual assaults -- and was on parole for exactly one month before the first woman was slain on July 26.

As part of his parole, Matthew Macon was ordered to register with the state as a sex offender and to stay away from children, state corrections records show.

He was arrested Wednesday for not registering as a sex offender and on a home invasion charge. While in custody, he was named the suspect in the five beating deaths and a sixth assault in which the woman survived, the Ingham County prosecutor's office said.

Macon's arraignment on the killings was postponed until next week, as Lansing police and Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III compile their case for a string of homicides that unnerved the city for more than a month.

Lansing Police Chief Mark Alley withheld details about the attacks and Macon, saying only that Macon would be charged in Monday's slaying of Sandra Eichorn, 64, a GM retiree who lived alone, and the assault of the 56-year-old woman whose dog chased away her attacker. ...

continued: Man held in killings was out on parole

[odette]

A look at the suspect's record

DETROIT FREE PRESS
September 1, 2007

Police accuse Matthew Macon of murdering five Lansing women since being released from prison in late June. They also are investigating him in connection with an unsolved 2004 homicide in Lansing that occurred while he was on parole. Authorities did not release details about his two parole violations.

As a juvenile: Dates not released, but Macon had extensive juvenile criminal history, including two sex offenses, breaking and entering, larceny and unlawfully driving away an automobile.

March 2000: Pleaded guilty to a larceny from a person for an incident that happened in 1999. He was sentenced to one year in jail with credit for 318 days served, according to court records. He also received three years of probation.

January 2001: Violated probation.

September 2001: Sent to prison for 2-10 years with credit for 472 days served.

April 16, 2003: Paroled after serving two years.

Dec. 2, 2003: Returned to prison for parole violation.

Sept. 25, 2004: Paroled second time.

December 2004: Barbara Jean Tuttle killed in Lansing; case remains unsolved.

June 2005: Pleaded guilty to third-degree home invasion and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer in connection with a February 2005 incident. Sentenced to 12 months in jail.

May 17, 2006: Returned to prison for parole violation.

June 26, 2007: Paroled from prison a third time.

July 26: First killing in Lansing, Ruth Hallman, 76.

Aug. 7: Second killing, Deborah Kaye Cooke, 36.

Aug. 9: Third killing, Debra Renfors, 46.

Monday: Fourth killing, Sandra Eichorn, 64.

Tuesday: Beating of 56 year-old woman in her home.

Wednesday: Fifth killing, Karen Delgado-Yates, 41. Macon is arrested for home invasion and failure to register as a sex offender.

Sources: Michigan Department of Corrections, Ingham County Prosectuor's Office, court records, Lansing State Journal

A look at the suspect's record

[odette]

Victims' friends express mix of relief, doubt about arrest

LANSING STATE JOURNAL
Brendan Bouffard
Published September 1, 2007

Just hours after attending Sandra Eichorn's funeral, Tina Dyer compared a picture of suspected killer Matthew E. Macon to the composite sketch released by police earlier this week.

Although she said she wanted someone brought to justice, she could not help but think the two pictures didn't look similar in the least.

Dyer is among several who have questioned the arrest of Macon, due to the dissimilarities of his photo to that of the composite sketch.

Edward Morris, 67, lives on Eighth Street near its intersection with Michigan Avenue in a Lansing neighborhood where Macon previously lived.

He said he thought the man in the composite sketch had much lighter skin than Macon.

"That man is innocent until proven guilty," Morris said. "Are they going by his track record or by the evidence?" ...

continued: Victims' friends express mix of relief, doubt about arrest

[odette]

Macon Has Long Criminal History

WILX10
Posted: 6:10 PM Aug 31, 2007
Last Updated: 11:07 PM Aug 31, 2007
Reporter: Tony Tagliavia and Beth Shayne

- Serial Killer Investigation

Matthew Macon's early life was undoubtably hard. He was in and out of foster care and he spent time at a juvenile center in Washtenaw County. ...

continued: Macon Has Long Criminal History

[odette]

Serial Killer Suspect May be Responsible for More Crimes

6NEWS WLNS
Stephanie Kolp

Serial Killer Suspect May be Responsible for More Crimes


Could the man who's accused of murdering six Lansing women be responsible for even more crimes in mid-Michigan? That's the question police are asking themselves. As you heard earlier on 6 News, police identified the man they're calling a serial killer as Matthew Emmanual Macon. Police say they have evidence linking Macon to 7 brutal crimes. The criminal investigation is just beginning. It's the end of a busy week for the Lansing Police Department.

Cpt. Ray Hall, Lansing Police Department: "It's been quite a roller coaster, roller coaster of emotions."

But in a way, their work has just begun. Police say Matthew Macon murdered 5 women in just the past 5 weeks. They also say he's responsible for the 2004 murder of Barbara Jean Tuttle. ...

continued: Serial Killer Suspect May be Responsible for More Crimes

[odette]

Why Was Macon Paroled?

WILX10
Posted: 9:55 PM Aug 31, 2007
Last Updated: 9:55 PM Aug 31, 2007
Reporter: Lauren Zakalik

"We always live in fear of a case like this," says Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan.

The prison doors opened for Matthew Macon on June 26 after the state parole board deemed him ready to rejoin society after an on-again-off-again stint in prison.

That recent parolee is who police are calling Lansing's "Serial Killer."

"The parole board reviewed his file, reviewed all his criminal history, talked with him, and made the decision he wasn't going to be a menace to society," he says. ...

continued: Why Was Macon Paroled?

[odette]

More Details on Serial Killer Suspect

WLNS 6NEWS
Dave Akerly

More Details on Serial Killer Suspect

So who is this guy, suspected serial killer Matthew Emanuel Macon? According to state files Macon spent most of his young life in and out of foster care and was found guilty of two criminal sexual conduct offenses as a juvenile when he spent time at the Maxey Home in Ypsilanti as part of his rehab. ...

continued: More Details on Serial Killer Suspect

[odette]

Macon In Maximum Security Cell

WILX
Reporter: Lauren Zakalik
Posted: 10:01 PM Sep 1, 2007
Last Updated: 10:01 PM Sep 1, 2007

A maximum-security single-person cell at the Ingham County Jail is accused serial killer Matthew Macon's new home for now.

He was moved into the maximum-security area Friday after charges against him grew from failing to register as a sex offender to murder.

He's accused of killing five Lansing women in five weeks, and potentially a sixth woman in 2004.

Macon spends 23 hours a day in the cell now. He's checked on by deputies every hour, but watched all the time. ...

continued: Macon In Maximum Security Cell

[odette]

Inmate's family accuses suspect in serial killings
Review of 2006 conviction sought

LANSING STATE JOURNAL
BY CHRISTINE ROOK
September 2, 2007

LANSING -- Relatives of a Lansing man serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting and killing a Lansing Community College professor say they believe the suspect in five recent homicides may be the real culprit.

The family of Claude Z. McCollum, 30, says he was wrongly convicted last year in the 2005 death of Carolyn Kronenberg, 60, of Gladwin. Instead, McCollum's relatives say they want police to consider whether Matthew E. Macon, 27, arrested this week in connection with five recent killings and an unsolved 2004 beating death, could also be responsible for Kronenberg's killing.

"These five women should never have died," said Carol McCollum, Claude McCollum's aunt. "If they had looked for the right person instead of trying to wipe the crime off the books."

She added friends and family have called to say they've seen news reports that Macon confessed to several murders including Kronenberg's.

But Lansing police Lt. Judy Horning declined Saturday to confirm any confessions by Macon. ...

continued: Review of 2006 conviction sought

[odette]

Family of Suspected Serial Killer Speaks Out

WLNS TV6
Preeti Arla
Sep 3, 2007

For the first time family members of a suspected serial killer are speaking out. Matthew Macon is accused of killing six women in Lansing. His family says he's being falsely accused. They faced the cameras to declare Macon's innocence. In a small hallway, Matthew Macon's family stood side by side in support.

Melinda Macon, sister: "We're standing by his side, despite what everyone else thinks, he's not that type of person." ... continued at below link

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=7018518&nav=0RbQ

[odette]

Sister of Suspected Serial Killer Talks

WLNS 6NEWS
Sep 3, 2007 04:08 AM

Matthew Macon's sister is speaking out, telling 6 News that police are using her brother as a scapegoat. Macon's sister says they have the wrong man. .. continued

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=7017053&nav=0RbQ

[odette]

More Details on Serial Killer Suspect's Prison History

WLNS 6NEWS
Sep 3, 2007 04:54 AM

More information on how a suspected serial killer was able to get out of prison on parole. Matthew Macon is in a Lansing jail accused of killing six women. The Department of Corrections is explaining Macon's history in prison. The Department of Corrections says Matthew Macon has been no stranger to the law.

Russ Marlan, Dept. of Corrections: "Obviously he didn't follow the rules." ... continued

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=7017082&nav=0RbQ

[odette]

Lawyer defends 'serial killer' suspect

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha
Published September 3, 2007

The attorney representing a man Lansing police say is connected to five recent killings and possibly two others says speculation in the media should stop.

Mike O'Briant - an Okemos-based attorney who said he was retained Friday by Matthew E. Macon's family - said comments by police officials as well as Mayor Virg Bernero, calling his client a serial killer, were "unfair and wrong." ...

continued: Lawyer defends 'serial killer' suspect

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Macon Set To Be Arraigned Tuesday

Posted: 2:44 PM Sep 3, 2007
Last Updated: 2:44 PM Sep 3, 2007
Reporter: Lauren Zakalik
Email Address: lauren.zakalik@wilx.com

Macon Family Speaks Out

In a maximum-security, single-person cell at the Ingham County Jail, Matthew Macon awaits arraignment on the first of a potential six murder charges.

Police say Macon killed five Lansing women in a span of less than five weeks. They're also looking to link him to an unsolved murder from 2004.

Macon is expected to be arraigned Tuesday here at 54-A District Court in Lansing for Sandra Eichorn's murder. Warrants for the other murders have not yet been issued.

Macon Set To Be Arraigned Tuesday

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Attorney says it's 'unfair' to call suspect a killer

Macon's lawyer calls for end to speculation about him in media

Lansing State Journal
Kevin Grasha
Published September 4, 2007

The attorney representing a man police say is connected to five recent killings and possibly two others said Monday that speculation in the media should stop. ...

excerpt
'The wrong person'

About 40 of Macon's family members and friends showed up Sunday for a news conference to support him, O'Briant said.

Clifton Jackson, of Lansing, said Monday during a telephone interview that Macon, his cousin, is not a killer.

"This is not Matthew," Jackson said. "He was in the process of putting his life together, striving to make changes. There's no way he would do this."

Jackson added: "I think they have the wrong person. I don't think the Lansing Police Department should stop looking. They should not give the community a false sense of victory in this case."

continued: Attorney says it's 'unfair' to call suspect a killer

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Murder suspect gives family hope

THE SAGINAW NEWS
LaNIA COLEMAN
Tuesday, September 04, 2007

LANSING -- A 30-year-old Lansing man was wrongly convicted of killing a 60-year-old college professor from Gladwin, his family members say.

Claude Z. McCollum remains imprisoned at the St. Louis Correctional Facility in Gratiot County.

In February 2006, an Ingham County jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the Jan. 22, 2005, death of Carolyn Kronenberg, an professor at Lansing Community College.

Defense lawyer Lee Taylor said in closing arguments that witnesses never presented DNA evidence linking McCollum to the crime.

Now, McCollum's family claims a suspect in five slayings in five weeks likely killed Kronenberg, too.

A student found Kronenberg in her classroom about 15 minutes before she was scheduled to teach.

McCollum was a student at the 19,500-student college but was not in Kronenberg's classes. ...

continued: Murder suspect gives family hope