Delayed Justice

I’ll write more later. For now, there is this:

The preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 17, 18, and 19 beginning at 8 a.m.

This fall under the category of wondrous. Thank you, Gannett Foundation, for putting up billboards that are seeking leads in the murder cases of Joel Battaglia and Andre Davis.

Here’s the release from Silent Observer:

Silent Observer Continues “You Know Who Killed Me” Billboard Campaign

Joel Battaglia and Andre Davis were both murdered and both of their crimes remain unsolved.  Silent Observer is highlighting these young men in their unsolved homicide billboard campaign.

Andre Davis, 20, a former Grand Rapids Christian High School football player died a few days after an early morning shooting on South Division Avenue on Aug. 25, 2013. Andre was riding in the back of a car traveling south on Division Avenue, south of Wealthy Street, when another car pulled up alongside and opened fire. The shooter’s vehicle turned off Division Avenue and sped away.  Police do not believe this was a random act and that it most likely stemmed from an altercation earlier in the night at Latvian Hall.  Andre’s billboard is on Franklin Street east of Jefferson.

Joel Battaglia, 23, was found beaten and left for dead in the early morning hours of June 11, 1990, in front of 1065 Lake Dr. SE. His body was discovered by an off-duty security guard from Blodgett Memorial Medical Center who saw Battaglia—known as Joel—lying in front of Trinity United Methodist Church. Joel had been at Mulligan’s Pub with a young woman. She told police that Joel had left the bar at about 1:45 a.m. The bar is ten blocks from where he was found.  An anonymous donor is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the person(s) responsible for Joel’s death.  Joel’s billboard is on Wealthy SE, east of Diamond.  The reward and the billboard coincide with Dr. David Schock’s film Death of a Phoenix: The Eastown Murder of Joel Battaglia released on the 24^th anniversary of Joel’s death.

Somebody knows something and our hope is that witnesses or anyone with any knowledge about these crimes will help right the wrongs of others and share what they know about these cases with Silent Observer.  Silent Observer promises that no one will ever know their identity as they do not use caller ID. Assisting police in the solution of these cases and getting those murderers off the streets are the goals of this project.  The families of these victims have suffered enough…they deserve answers and to see justice for their loved ones.

Anyone with information about these crimes is urged to call Grand Rapids Police at 456-3604 or Silent Observer at 774-2345.  Silent Observer promises that the identity of those that call them will always remain a secret.

This “You Know Who Killed Me” billboard campaign was made possible by a grant from the Gannett Foundation.

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And here’s the story that ran yesterday on WZZM. Wondrous!

I was able to contact the Attorney General’s office late yesterday afternoon and put the question to the media person: Are there likely to be other arrests?

Here is her response:

I can’t comment on whether additional charges are expected.  

As with any case, the Attorney General reserves the right to file additional charges in the future, if evidence warrants it.

That’s pretty much what I anticipated, but the question had to be asked. It may not be so., but we’ve seen many other cases where, once the big fish are reeled in, that the smaller fish also are scooped up in a net. Does it matter that we know now? No, not really, but it’s a natural curiosity that drives the asking.

The AG’s office has had this case in hand for more than a year now, poking and prodding, asking questions that needed to be answered before it could be a prosecutable case. The arrests at this point likely mean the case is solid. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy prosecution; for all the work by the investigative team to solve it, there have been others who have sought to undo their work, and who were working against them.

One of the most interesting reports came from WWMT, Channel 3. Jared Werksma was on hand for a probable cause hearing that contained lots of new information.

And here is the document he cites, the probable cause hearing transcript: siders-probable-cause-document. This lays out in a small way the kind of evidence the prosecution brings to the table. It was enough for arrests and enough to deny the Jones brothers’ likely request for bail.

There was supposed to be a District Court hearing tomorrow morning, but that has been postponed until Friday at 1:30 p.m..

Today is the day that Matthew “Skip” Jones and Paul Jones begin their encounter with justice, arrested and accused of the 1989 murder of 18-year-old Shannon Marie Siders. 

Paul Jones

Matthew “Skip” Jones

 Here’s the Attorney General’s press release:

The one question I have not had answered yet is this: Does the Attorney General anticipate there will be other arrests?

Henry Erb–a seasoned and experienced reporter for WOOD TV–well remembers this case of the murder of Joel Battaglia. He covered some of the stories that swirled about it over the years. He took the time to come out and talk about the film, but, more, about the case. This film, for all the intense reportage just now (and we are grateful for it), is only the next in a series of stories about the crime. There have been a lot of people committed to telling this story over the years. It’s really more their story than mine; I’m a come-lately. I acknowledge their preeminence. And I hope and pray that this series will be the last from THIS side of the solution of the crime.

Here’s Henry’s report.

In the early morning hours of June 11, 1990, Christopher Joel Battaglia, 23, left Mulligan’s, an Eastown bar in Grand Rapids, and walked the ten blocks to his death. He was found in front of 1065 Lake Drive, beaten and unconscious. He died a short time later at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Robbed and left without identification, Joel lay in the morgue unidentified for a day. A tattoo of a phoenix on his right ankle enabled investigators to put his name with his body. Members of the Grand Rapids Police Department Major Case Team worked the case hard, interviewing and polygraphing almost everyone who might have had anything to do with Joel in his last days and hours.

His death sent shock waves through the community. Did Joel have a fatal encounter with one of the area’s loosely knit gangs…the Wealthy Street Boys, The Cherry Street Boys, or the Nine-Iron Posse? Or did a seemingly innocuous disagreement at the bar result in his killing? Was he a target, or was his murder the outcome of a random meeting?

For 24 years this case has been assiduously investigated, first at the GRPD and later at the Kent Metro Cold Case Team. And, for 24 years the killer or killers have managed to elude justice. In a new documentary, filmmaker David B. Schock, Ph.D., tells the story of Joel’s life and murder. The 80-minute film, Death of a Phoenix: The Eastown Murder of Joel Battaglia, will screen at the Wealthy Street Theatre at 7 and 9 p.m. June 11, the 24th anniversary of his death.

“This is the closest screen to the site of his murder,” said Schock. “And we invite the neighborhood as well as those who knew Joel. He was beloved, and his death has had far-reaching consequences—not just for his family, but also for the community.”

The film will be shown at no charge. Staff and volunteer members of Silent Observer will be on hand, too, providing refreshments and passing out cards and flyers.

“The goal,” said Schock, “is for someone to come forward and to provide the police with the one revelation they need to at last fully investigate the homicide, and for Kent County then to successfully prosecute this case. We’ve said it before and in this case again: ‘Somebody knows something; somebody always knows something.’”

More information about the case is available at Schock’s website, DelayedJustice.com: http://www.delayedjustice.com/?p=2762.