By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
CASSOPOLIS - A cooperative "cold case" investigation by the Cass County Prosecutor's Office and Michigan State Police's Niles post apparently solved a 15-year-old Pokagon Township murder.
On March 7, 1990, William Whittaker, 42, was found dead at the kitchen table of his camper trailer, shot through the head with a .22-caliber bullet.
His camper had been parked temporarily at a friend's house at 3136 M-51 North as Whittaker, 42, prepared to move to Washington state.
Prosecutor Victor Fitz on Monday authorized two felony counts against a former Niles area man, Michael Dunnuck, 34.
Dunnuck reported finding Whittaker's body and had been what Fitz described as a "person of interest" since early in the case.
Dunnuck, who was 19 at the time and attending Central Michigan University, was arraigned before Fourth District Court Judge Paul E. Deats Wednesday afternoon on open murder and felony firearm charges. Bond was set at $500,000.
Open murder carries a penalty of life in prison or any term of years. Felony firearm is punishable by a mandatory two-year prison term served consecutive to and prior to any other sentence.
Fitz added, "This result is a tribute to the relentless efforts of the Michigan State Police. They never gave up trying to locate the killer. Dunnuck hid his involvement for many years. But now he will face justice for his crimes."
Dunnuck was arrested Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, by the state police fugitive team. Dunnuck's apprehension took place at his 16027 Murray Road residence in Byron, northeast of Lansing. Dunnuck was found hiding in his basement.
Fitz said the suspect was aware of another warrant issued for him alleging failure to pay support for two children.
State police reopened the case, which had been inactive since 1997, on Jan. 21, with Det. Sgt. Fabian Suarez and Trooper Matt Achterberg assigned to the new investigation. Suarez previously served a year-long stint with the state police cold case team.
During the last seven months, Suarez and Achterberg reviewed the case with Fitz and the prosecutor's investigator on a regular basis.
The group reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, pursued new and old leads and sent out releases to the media concerning the case. Crime Stoppers also featured the investigation.
New evidence includes a statement by the defendant in recent years admitting that he shot Whittaker, as well as other corroborative evidence.
Initial investigation in 1990 included troopers and detectives from the Niles post and other Cass County law enforcement officers. James Uebler, since retired, was the state police detective at that time.
Robbery is indicated as a motive for the murder. Numerous silver bars were found missing from Whittaker's trailer immediately after the killing.
Suarez said Whittaker invested in about $2,000 worth of silver bars "that you can purchase and then cash in at your leisure."
The silver bars have not been recovered, nor has the murder weapon.
Both Fitz and Brown emphasized the importance of cold case efforts, when passage of time becomes an ally in discovering additional evidence.
Suarez said one 1998 case was resolved with a 2002 conviction. A 1987 homicide remains under review with the Berrien County prosecutor. The oldest case concerns a woman's 1975 disappearance.
Dunnock "was not aware of the warrant for the homicide until they transported him from Byron to Lansing," Suarez said. "That's where myself and Trooper Achterberg advised him of that warrant, and he was a bit surprised."
Brown said Whittaker's family requested privacy and "not to be contacted at this time until possibly after the trial, when they will have some comments. And those will come through the prosecutor's victim-witness coordinator."