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Testimony resumes in Jeffrey Willis murder trial; toolbox of syringes, gags found in van shown

Posted at 9:16 AM, Dec 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-09 16:14:45-05

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The second day of testimony in the preliminary hearing for Jeffrey Willis is underway in Muskegon.

Willis is accused of the murder of Jessica Heeringa, a gas station clerk from Norton Shores.  She disappeared from her workplace late into her shift on April 25, 2013 and has not been seen since.

Willis was arrested in April 2016 after an abduction attempt of a 16-year-old girl.  Evidence found when police searched Willis allegedly tied him to Heeringa's disappearance and to the murder of Rebekah Bletsch in 2014.

Det. Matt Schultz - Muskegon Co. Sheriff

Det. Matt Schultz - Muskegon Co. Sheriff

Today's hearing is the second day of testimony to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to send Willis to trial for the Heeringa murder.

First on the stand Friday was Detective Matt Schultz of the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department. He interviewed the teen allegedly abducted by Willis earlier this year.  He went through the surveillance video from a nearby blueberry farm and found a van that matched the description of Willis's van.  The girl also identified the van as the one she was in with Willis.

Next, Prosecutor D.J. Hilson called Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Tom Flowers to the stand.  Flowers found the toolbox in Willis' van that contained a Walther .22 pistol, ammunition, syringes, rope, a ball gag, pills and more straps.  Also in the box was a laminate with a diagram of the body and instructions of how and where to inject a person and how fast it takes for drugs to take effect.  The gun was loaded and is supposedly what ties Willis to the murder of Bletsch.

heeringa-photoThe detective said that Willis told them his wife was diabetic and needed the syringes.  They did find insulin in the van.

Two video cameras were also found in the van.

Afternoon testimony was focused on evidence found from cell phone records and DNA.

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