GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Police used a suspect’s GPS ankle tether from another, unrelated crime to link him to a murder.
Although they haven’t been issued yet, homicide charges are likely in the next day or two for Devon Matthews, according to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
On June 3, a charge of aggravated stalking was issued against Matthews out of Wyoming District Court for apparent harassment of a woman. Matthews bonded out and was given a GPS ankle tether.
When that same woman called police days later to report continued harassment by Matthews, police knew where to find him – they just followed the GPS location on his tether.
Officers traced Matthews and the car he was driving to an address on Horton Avenue SE, where Matthews ran away and tried to ditch a gun in a public bathroom at a nearby park. Officers recovered the weapon and found the remains of a deceased male in the back of the car Matthews was driving.
“He dumped the gun and then subsequently they found the homicide victim in the back of his car,” said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Monica Janiskee on Tuesday at Matthew’s court appearance to set his bond once again.
Judge Nicholas S. Ayoub raised Matthew’s bond from $10,000 to $50,000 cash surety. Matthews still is not facing homicide charges.
The day after the discovery, Grand Rapids Police sent out a press release identifying 69-year-old Rick Jekel as the victim of a homicide on Horton Avenue.
Friends of Jekel, who was a former University of Michigan football player, tell FOX 17 he was homeless and living in his car at the time. A connection between Matthews and Jekel was not immediately clear.
Rebbecca Fogel, who lives right next door to the dead end where Jekel’s body was found, was still shaken up when FOX 17 spoke to her outside her home on Tuesday.
“I just didn’t think of my driveway as a place where someone might hide anything,” she said. “Every once in a while, I’ll go to the back door and I’ll check to make sure there’s not a car there that I don’t know.”
Matthews’ next court appearance is Wednesday, June 22 in Wyoming District Court.
