CENTREVILLE, MI (WTVB/WNWN) – A St. Joseph County murder case has been bound over to that county’s Circuit Court.
A preliminary exam was held on Thursday in St. Joseph County District Court in the case of 35-year-old Michael Lafler who is charged with October 15, 2021 murder of 33-year-old Chelsea Wallen in her Colon home.
Lafler was Wallen’s boyfriend at the time of her strangulation death.
Colon Police Sgt. Joel Herr, who investigated the death, testified there was an argument and a physical altercation between the two.
He was one of three witnesses called to the stand.
Lafler remains held in the St. Joseph County Jail on a $1 million bond.
St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman agreed with a defense motion during a June 30 hearing that a previous attorney did not properly represent Lafler which led to the defendant waiving a district court preliminary examination last December.
During a preliminary exam in the State of Michigan, the presiding judge decides whether or not the prosecution has met their burden of proof. If the judge feels the burden of proof has been met, the case is then assigned to that county’s Circuit Court.
Wallen attended Colon High School and resided in Colon her entire life. She worked as a manager at Countryside Quality Meats in Union City.
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