PONTIAC (WWJ) — Three men from Ohio have been extradited to Michigan and charged with the murder of a Pontiac businessman.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday 24-year-old William Gregory Creasy, 28-year-old Scott Aloysius Brown and 32-year-old Deonte Damont Prophett all returned to Pontiac Tuesday night.
They were arraigned Wednesday, each facing charges of felony murder and armed robbery in connection with the Jan. 13 shooting death of 66-year-old Sam Simko of Commerce Township. All three men are being held without bond at the Oakland County Jail.
Simko was the owner of a marijuana grow business on University Drive in Pontiac. Authorities say Creasy had arranged a meeting with Simko that night, but it turned out to be “a ruse” to rob Simko and his business.
The sheriff’s office previously said Creasy had left the business, but soon went back inside with Brown and Prophett, who had been waiting in an SUV across the street.
Authorities said Simko’s business partner found him dead the same night with two gunshot wounds.
The sheriff’s office said Wednesday Prophett is believed to have fired the fatal shots. He is facing additional charges of using a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
“The senseless tragic murder of a businessman by these cold and calculating perpetrators must be answered with swift justice,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, per a press release. “I look forward to them being held accountable for their heinous act.”
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office detectives were assisted in the investigation by the ATF and Cincinnati Police Department. Creasy and Brown were arrested in Cincinnati the day after the shooting and Prophett was arrested another day later.
The sheriff’s office did not release any information about the suspects’ next court dates.