PAW PAW, Mich. — A man will spend the rest of his life in prison for hitting and killing a woman with his pickup truck, engaging in sexual acts with her body and then hiding it in a rural area.
The family of Melody Rohrer says she was not just a victim, but also a wife, mother and grandmother. They shared their grief with powerful impact statements in a Van Buren County courtroom Monday.
"September 20, 2021— the nightmare that exists today begins 36 hours of extreme panic and confusion...and uncertainty that no one should ever have to face," Melody's daughter Brooke said.
Investigators say, in 2021, Melody, 64, went for a walk near Oak Shores Campground but never came back.
"We never got to say goodbye. We never got to see her one last time. This makes it even harder for us," Melody's daughter Jill said.
"All they have left now is memories of the past," Melody's husband, Richard Rohrer, added. "Things will never be the same without her."
According to investigators, Colby Martin hit and killed Melody while she was on her walk. They say he put her body in his pickup truck and engaged in sexual acts. Later, he moved her body again and hid it in a rural area of St. Joseph County.
Martin, 31, was convicted of open murder, failure to stop at the scene of an accident and concealing the death of an individual back in June.
A judge sentenced him Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
