Man convicted of murdering 'wonderful young woman' in Delta Twp. in 2019
CHARLOTTE — A Lansing man faces mandatory life in prison without parole for the execution-style murder of a woman on a Delta Township roadside more than five years ago.
An Eaton County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday convicted Julian Guadelupe Revilla, 31, of first-degree, premeditated murder in the death of 23-year-old Suzann "Suzy" Fedewa on Jan. 3, 2019.
Revilla killed Fedewa at the request of a methamphetamine dealer, based on a mistaken belief she was cooperating with police in a drug investigation, Eaton County Prosecutor Douglas Lloyd said in a news release.
Revilla shot Fedewa in the back of the head and left her to die near the intersection of Lansing and Old Lansing roads, said Lloyd, who described the killing as "a senseless tragedy,"
"Julian Revilla chose loyalty to a drug dealer over common human decency," he said in the release. "Revilla's decision robbed Suzy's family of a bright spirit, and stole a wonderful young woman from this community."
Revilla was charged in connection with Fedewa's death in September 2019, about eight months after Fedewa was found dead along Old Lansing Road.
After shooting Fedewa, Revilla left Michigan and was arrested following a high-speed police pursuit and crash in West Alexandria, Ohio, Lloyd said. Revilla was serving a prison sentence in Ohio for receiving stolen property and other crimes when he was charged in the Eaton County murder case.
An Eaton County Sheriff's detective testified during a warrant hearing that Revilla confessed to murdering Fedewa.
"He lured her out of the car, walked around the back of the car and then shot − confessed to shooting (Suzann) Fedewa in the back of the head," Detective Rick Buxton said in the 2019 hearing,
Besides the murder charge, Revilla was convicted Wednesday of felony firearm possession, being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon, Lloyd said. The jury deliberated for three or four hours following a three-day trial.
At trial, Revilla contended he was in the car when Fedewa was killed but denied shooting her, said his attorney, Amanda Love.
"I think that the case did expose some fairly violent events that happened in our community, which is sad, but I don’t know that we will ever be able to know who actually pulled the trigger," she said. "Regardless of the verdict, I hope the family of Suzy Fedewa feels some type of closure from that verdict, and that someday, the other people involved get what they deserve."
Judge Janice Cunningham set a June 5 sentencing date for Revilla.
A number of factors delayed the progress of the case, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a lengthy appeal involving one of Revilla's confessions, Chief Assistant Eaton County Prosecutor Christopher Anderson said. Court records indicate Revilla changed attorneys several times and that Cunningham heard numerous pretrial motions.
Love said there was only one confession, and that came after Revilla had been interrogated for many hours after he had been involved in a severe vehicle crash.
Lloyd lauded Buxton, who is now retired, and Eaton County Sheriff's Sgt. Josh Ivey for "outstanding investigative work."
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Man convicted of murdering 'wonderful young woman' in Delta Twp. in 2019
