A man was murdered in Calhoun County this month.
The body of Larry Denniston, 63, was found on April 1 in a wooded area of Branch County, according to Capt. Max Saxton of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.
Lauren O’Melay, 68, was arrested the following day. According to an official from the Calhoun County District Court, he is charged with open murder and a firearm weapons felony.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reported that Denniston was shot as many as six times, including several shots in the back.
Denniston’s body was discovered near Ely Road by a man riding his four-wheeler through the woods on that Sunday. Saxton said the man contacted Branch County Sheriff’s Department, who discovered clues on Denniston that lead them to stores in the Marshall area.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department then became involved in the investigation.
Saxton said they discovered evidence leading to O’Melay, who was then contacted and asked to come in for questioning. He complied and, after a several-hour-long interview, confessed to the murder.
Saxton said the homicide took place on Denniston’s property in a field off 20 Mile Road at Michigan Avenue in Marengo Township.
Denniston and O’Melay owned property adjacent to one another, and The Enquirer reported that investigators alleged that a property dispute was the motivating factor in the shooting.
On April 4, a second man, Douglas Shepherd, 50, was arrested and charged with conspiracy after the fact in involvement with Denniston’s murder. Saxton said Shepherd assisted O’Melay in trying to hide the crime.
O’Melay was arraigned the same day Shepherd was arrested and a preliminary hearing is set for today at the Calhoun County District Court.
