Court records: Ballistics match part of murder charge in Rollin Township hunting death

David Panian, The Daily Telegram
·2 min read

ADRIAN — A ballistics match was part of the evidence that led law enforcement officials to charge a teenager with murder in the death of his mother's boyfriend.

Trenton Karl-Mark Berry, 17, is charged with open murder and felony firearm in the shooting death of Kirt Stubbins, 41, of Addison while they were hunting Nov. 30 in Rollin Township. Berry is charged as an adult. A probable cause conference is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27, in Lenawee County District Court. The conference is an opportunity for Berry's attorney to tell the court if they intend to proceed with a preliminary examination, which is scheduled for March 5.

Berry is represented by the Lenawee County Public Defender's Office.

Investigators' vehicles are pictured Nov. 30 in a field in the 15000 block of Rome Road in Rollin Township where Lenawee County Sheriff Troy Bevier says a hunter was shot by another hunter. Trenton Karl-Mark Berry, 17, is charged with open murder in the death of Kirt Stubbins, 41, of Addison.
Investigators' vehicles are pictured Nov. 30 in a field in the 15000 block of Rome Road in Rollin Township where Lenawee County Sheriff Troy Bevier says a hunter was shot by another hunter. Trenton Karl-Mark Berry, 17, is charged with open murder in the death of Kirt Stubbins, 41, of Addison.

A preliminary exam is a hearing where the prosecution has to show that a crime was committed and that there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crime. A judge would rule on whether to bind the case over to circuit court for further proceedings.

A bond hearing was conducted Feb. 15, and District Judge Laura J. Schaedler reduced the bond on the murder charge from $10 million to $5 million. She kept the bond on the felony firearm charge at $5,000.

The open murder charge allows a jury to determine the degree of murder, should the case go to trial.

Berry was arrested Feb. 12 following an investigation by the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office. According to an affidavit of probable cause in the district court file, Berry and Stubbins were hunting together on Nov. 30 in Rollin Township when Stubbins was shot. Stubbins had been Berry's mother's live-in boyfriend for eight years.

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According to the affidavit, Berry told a sheriff's office detective he would never shoot Stubbins. The detective reported the only tracks in the snow were from Stubbins and Berry.

Berry was armed with a Savage Axis .350 rifle, the affidavit said. That caliber of bullet was removed from Stubbins' body during the autopsy. Tests at the Michigan State Police crime lab matched the bullet to Berry's rifle.

Michigan's "Raise the Age" legislation for when a criminal defendant is considered an adult from 17 to 18 took effect in 2021. Prosecutors can still charge juveniles as adults if they are accused of certain crimes, including homicide, and are 14 or older.

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Court records: Ballistics match in Rollin Township hunting death