By By NORMA LERNER / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS – The family of slain William Whittaker saw justice being done in Cass County Circuit Court Friday morning when Michael Dunnuck was sentenced to 15 to 25 years in prison for second-degree murder of Whittaker in 1990.
Dunnuck, 34, apologized to the family, saying he was sorry for the pain he caused them.
In an Aug. 21 plea agreement, Dunnuck acknowledged getting into an argument with Whittaker, then 42, on March 7, 1990, while at Whittaker's trailer on M-51 in Pokagon Township.
He also admitted grabbing a gun and shooting Whittaker in the head.
Authorities found Whittaker the next day with a bullet wound through his forehead.
Cass County Circuit Judge Michael Dodge, recounting the case, said Dunnuck shot and killed Whittaker with a .22-caliber rifle in the head at point blank range. Dunnuck then put the gun in the trunk of his car and threw it in a trash bin behind a restaurant in Niles. He later returned and went to a neighbor's house saying he had discovered Whittaker's body and that his death appeared to be a suicide.
Dodge added the Michigan State Police investigated the death and concluded it was a homicide. Officers investigated Dunnuck and considered him a suspect in the shooting, but they did not think they had sufficient evidence for his arrest.
The case went cold and was inactive until Jan. 21, 2005, when it was reopened by Detective Fabian Suarez. Dunnuck's ex-wife and friends were interviewed during the investigation, and investigators learned Dunnuck had made statements that he murdered a man in 1990.
Police located Dunnuck in Byron, Mich., on Aug. 3, 2005. Dunnuck was arrested and tried for the shooting, but the trial ended in a hung jury on March 16, 2006.
Dunnuck was to face a second trial, but he pled guilty on Aug. 21, agreeing to a 25-year sentence limit and assurances that no other charges would be brought against him.
"It's unfortunate the matter was not brought to justice a long time ago. It would have put the victims at rest a lot sooner," Dodge said. "You went on with your life in keeping this a secret except to those you trusted. You were not in danger to society. Whittaker may well have victimized you before you took his life. You should … not taken the law into your own hands. You could have walked away from it," Dodge told Dunnuck.
Whittaker's the family did not address the court prior to sentencing, but they expressed their gratitude in a prepared statement.
"The family of William Whittaker sincerely thanks Detective Fabian Suarez and Trooper Matt Achterberg of the Michigan State Police for their diligence in bringing resolution and justice to us," the statement said. The family also thanked Cass County Prosecutor Victor for giving them closure.
Suarez, who was present for the sentencing, said he was glad for the closure and that justice was served.