Alleged tattoo studio shooter was suspect in 2009 Oakland County murder
HOWELL — The Daily has confirmed Jeremy Michael Heath, 48, who faces open murder charges for a shooting at Metro Studios Ink in downtown Howell, was also a suspect in a high-profile Oakland County murder in 2009.
The open murder charge was announced by the Howell Police Department on Tuesday, July 2, joining charges of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, felony firearm and carrying a concealed weapon. Heath was arraigned on those charges Monday.
Heath, of Clarkson, is accused of fatally shooting Sean Thompson, 46, of Howell, at Metro Studios Ink on Friday, June 28.
In a release Saturday, HPD said Thompson was on-scene causing a disturbance before the shooting. They added there was a known history of disputes between business staff and Thompson.
Though some outlets reported Thompson had a knife, HPD said there was no immediate indication he was armed, though threats of violence were made, leading Heath to allegedly fire one shot — which struck and killed Thompson.
The additional charge of open murder was brought on Tuesday “based upon additional information discovered during the investigation," HPD wrote.
Open murder is a combination of first and second degree murder, which allows the jury to determine the degree based on the evidence presented at trial.
Heath's bond was originally set at $200,000, but it was revoked Tuesday.
Stabbing in Oakland County
This isn't the first time Heath has been suspected of murder, a fact The Daily has confirmed through social media posts from the Michigan State Police and conversations with Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy and Deputy Police Chief Brent Wasson of Gillette, Wyoming.
In August 2009, Dennis McCarthy — who had previously been acquitted of molesting several children — was stabbed to death at his home in Holly Township. McCarthy had only just been released from jail for a separate sexual assault case before the break-in and attack that ended his life, according to reporting from The Tri-County Times.
Police believed the suspect who fled the scene was Heath — who, according to a post from the Michigan State Police in 2011, had not been seen since the homicide and "ended all contact with his family and children."
According to the Times, MSP reported in 2012 that Heath was connected to someone who'd allegedly been sexually assaulted by McCarthy.
MSP did not immediately return a request for comment from The Daily.
A warrant was issued for Heath's arrest; but it wasn't enacted until 2019, when Heath was arrested by police in Gillette, Wyoming.
There are no public court records regarding the case in Oakland County, and no records for Heath in the Michigan Department of Corrections' Offender Tracking Information System. The Daily is working to determine whether Heath was ultimately charged in the case.
Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds of Campbell County, Wyoming, confirmed that, while in a holding cell awaiting extradition to Michigan, Heath attacked another inmate, striking him and using his belly chain to choke him.
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According to The Gillette News Record, Heath said the inmate had boasted about raping a woman. Heath was charged with aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, but Reynolds said the charges were dropped because the inmate was uninjured and Heath faced charges in Michigan.
Heath's next court date in Livingston County will be before Judge Murphy on Tuesday, July 9.
— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Alleged tattoo studio shooter was suspect in 2009 Oakland County murder
