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Family files lawsuit against Ottawa County, GVSU police

Posted at 6:22 PM, Oct 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-15 18:23:35-04

ROYAL OAK, Mich. - The family of a Grand Valley student killed in a murder-suicide said police chose to protect her killer leading up to her death.

The parents of Rosemarie Reilly spoke with FOX 17 Monday at their attorney's office in Royal Oak, Michigan. The family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department and the GVSU Department of Public Safety.

Rosemarie was killed in November 2016 in the Eastown neighborhood of Grand Rapids by her ex-boyfriend Jeremy Kelley, who then took his own life.

John and Pamela Reilly said the tragedy could have been prevented if the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department and the GVSU Department of Public Safety acted on reports of Kelley's behavior.

"It was a tortuous process that took about a month of him stalking her [and] dozens and dozens of violations of the personal protection order that were reported to the authorities," attorney Jim Rasor said. "They did nothing."

He added, "You'll be shocked to know that in this case there's a violent crime that was committed, domestic violence with a gun, and a young lady's nose was broken... that they chose to mail, mail the arrest warrant [to Jeremy Kelley]."

"I told them how many guns he had," Pamela Reilly said. "I told them what kind of guns he had and they ... nothing. They blew me off."

The Reilly's say police repeatedly ignored their complaints of Kelley's threats to hurt himself and kill their daughter.

Rasor and the family believe police failed to arrest Kelley because his father was a Bloomfield Township police officer.

"I think the officers chose to protect a colleague's son rather than protect a victim," Rasor said. "Jeremy's father accused Jeremy of lying, accused Rosemarie of lying, [and] didn't believe that his son was capable of these acts," Rasor added.