Crime & Safety

Groveland Twp. Man Due in Court in Zip-Tie Murder Case

Prosecutors say Colin Eugene Thompson strangled his live-in girlfriend Michele Coakley.

A Groveland Township man is facing first degree pre-meditated murder charges after police say he strangled his live-in girlfriend with plastic zip ties.

The pre-trial case for defendant Colin Eugene Thompson, 41, is set for 1 p.m. Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court.

Rescue crews say the plastic zip ties were so tight around Michele Coakley's neck that they could barely remove them, according to the Detroit News.

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"He (Thompson) said 'she did this to herself' and this was how he found her," firefighter/paramedic Tom Nicholson Jr said in the Detroit News article. "He was showing signs of aggression, pushing me back in the room after I told him there was nothing we could do. At one point, I told him if he didn't settle down I would take some of the zip ties he used on his girlfriend and use them to tie him up to a chair."

Thompson and Coakley lived together in the 16000 block of Dixie Highway and Thompson called 9-1-1 around 1 a.m. Sept. 21 and reported Coakley had attempted suicide, according to the Clarkston News.

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"The investigation by the MSP also reported they were being evicted from their residence that day," said Paul Walton, chief assistant prosecutor for Oakland County in the Clarkston News article. "Based on the physical evidence collected and the demeanor of the suspect, we issued arrest warrants for Thompson after the MSP detectives' investigation. This is just a very tragic case."

Coakley had four children, according to the Tri-County Times.


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