Former Michigan football player Richard Jekel shot and killed
Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, are set to charge a suspect in the murder of former Michigan football player Richard Jekel, according to News 8 (Michigan).
That decision comes after Devon Matthews, 26, was found with a body in his car during a stalking arrest in early June.
Jekel's body was found in the backseat of the car, but prosecutors did not announce a motive for the killing or a timeline in his death.
“He killed my dad for no reason. He definitely would’ve killed (his stalking victim) because she was the focus, and then their poor child would grow up without either parent,” Melissa Jekel, Richard’s daughter, told News 8. “So I mean it sucks, but I just don’t want to be bitter and let it consume me.”
Matthews was out on bond for a previous stalking charge when he received another stalking complaint on June 6.
Police found him outside the stalking victim's home with a gun. When they went to arrest Matthews, they found Jekel dead in the back of the car.
Police said the gun Matthews had prior to his arrest matched the bullet found in Jekel's body.
Jekel's family said the car that Matthews was driving belonged to Jekel, as the former Wolverine was known to give free rides to people around town, and that Matthews planned to use the car in his stalking crime.
“There is no motive,” Jekel's daughter said.
“They haven’t been able to make any connection between my dad and Devon at all. … It was just a random wrong place, wrong time. He was trying to get to his stalking victim.”
Jekel played for former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler during the 1970s and was a teammate of future LSU coach Les Miles, who was a best man at Jekel's wedding.
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