- Posted December 18, 2014
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Man ordered to stand trial in teen's slaying
ROMEO (AP) - A 32-year-old man will stand trial in the killing of a 14-year-old girl as she walked her dog along a northern Macomb County recreation trail.
Romeo District Judge Denis LeDuc on Tuesday determined there was enough evidence to move the case against James VanCallis forward.
VanCallis is charged with first-degree murder and assault with intent to rape.
Authorities say he hit April Millsap with a motorcycle helmet and stomped on her in Armada near the popular trail on July 24. They say the man from St. Clair County's Wales Township was planning to rape her but a witness interrupted him.
Witnesses testified Monday in VanCallis' preliminary examination that they saw him on the trail near Millsap the day she was killed.
Former live-in girlfriend Crystal Stadler testified Tuesday that she saw VanCallis cleaning his shoes with sanitizer early in the morning on July 25. She said he told her to lie to investigators about the type of shoes he was wearing the day before.
"He said he messed up and he needs me to stand by his side," Stadler testified. The couple has a 3-year-old son.
VanCallis will be arraigned Dec. 29 in circuit court.
He was sentenced last month to a year in jail in a separate drug case. He and his father earlier pleaded guilty to manufacturing marijuana.
Published: Thu, Dec 18, 2014
headlines Oakland County
- Do it all: Attorney turns volunteer work into an art form
- Nessel sues pharmacy benefit managers for role in opioid crisis
- Man charged with embezzling over $350,000 from Gross Pointe Woods wine shop
- Judge rules MDOC gender dysphoria discrimination suit can continue as plaintiff receives requested accommodation
- Detroit murder conviction is overturned 22 years later because of police misconduct
headlines National
- Unbeknownst to corporate lawyer, scammers used her name to file thousands of trademark applications
- Judge accuses high-profile law firms of possible effort to ‘gum up the works’
- Lawyer accused of ‘egregious acts of dishonesty,’ gambling with client cash gets disbarred
- Ex-BigLaw partner hit with prison time, $4.2M restitution order in tax case
- Artificial intelligence in the legal field ‘will lead to an exciting evolution in the ecosystem,’ Airia CEO says
- Florida lawyer says she used trust account funds to avoid becoming homeless