PAW PAW, Mich. (WWJ) - A White Pigeon man was convicted of purposely killing a 64-year-old jogger with his truck on Wednesday in what prosecutor's say was part of a plan to have sex with her body.
A jury deliberated for an hour and a half before coming back with the guilty verdict on all three counts for Colby Martin, 31, in the 2021 murder of Melody Rohrer, 64, in Van Buren County, as reported by WWMT.
Prosecutors argued in court that intentionally ran down Rohrer with his truck as she was walking in the 84000 block of County Road 215 in Hamilton Township. He then put her body in his vehicle and hid it on Purgatory Road in St. Joseph County.
Martin admitted to fatally striking the woman in an interrogation video with police.
The motive? To have sex with Rohrer's corpse, prosecutors said.
Evidence presented in court showed Martin had searched for necrophilia online a month before the killing. According to a report by a Dan Frattura, a former detective with the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, Martin had typed the keywords "necro," "dead" and "kill" in his searches.
Specifically the word "nerco" appeared at least 22 times on his phone search function on Aug. 24, 2021, less than a month before Rohrer was killed, Frattura said.
Prosecutors also presented in court a used condom with Martin's and Rohrer's DNA on it.
Martin's defense attorney maintained that their client did not intentionally hit Rohrer and it was accident. Martin has denied having sex with the victim's corpse.
A jury found Martin guilty of open murder, failure to stop at the scene when at fault causing death and concealing the death of an individual.
The jury then clarified they found Martin was guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Martin did not know Rohrer.
"We are thankful for the jury that they provided the verdict that provides only measure of judgement and justice at the state of Michigan currently allows in this case," husband Richard Rohrer said via WWMT. "However, there is no joy in my family’s heart today. We say that because there is no law in Michigan that criminalizes the sexual assault or rape of a deceased person."
Martin is due back in court for sentencing at 11 a.m. on July 31.