BATH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Two men have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a hunter in a Michigan state park during the 2018 deer season.
Thomas Olson and Robert Rodway, both 34, were arraigned Thursday on charges of felony murder and using a firearm during a felony, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
Chong Moua Yang’s body was found Nov. 16, 2018, in the Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in Bath Township, northeast of Lansing.
Yang, 68, frequently hunted in the area and his wife became alarmed when he failed to return home. Yang's family located his car in a parking lot and followed two sets of footprints that led them to his body.
Yang's headlamp, knife, backpack and shotgun had been stolen.
Witness testimony and a plastic bag with hunting spray recovered near the scene led police to Olson and Rodway, Nessel said. They were arrested Wednesday night by a state police fugitive team.
“The Bath Township Police Department worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other local agencies and prosecutors to gather evidence, establish a timeline of events, and locate the defendants,” Nessel said.
Olson and Rodway were ordered jailed without bond. A probable cause conference has been scheduled for Jan. 5.
Court records did not list an attorney Thursday afternoon for Olson.
Matt Newburg, Rodway's attorney, told The Associated Press his client is innocent.
“Mr. Rodway had absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Yang's death,” Newburg said.
