GUILTY MI - Amber Griffin, 27, last seen by boyfriend, Battle Creek, 22 Jun 2020 *arrest*

[mlhenn]

Testimony begins in homicide case involving missing Battle Creek woman yet to be found

Preliminary testimony began Tuesday in the homicide case involving the boyfriend of a missing Battle Creek woman presumed dead.

Derek Depree Horton, 26, was charged June 27 with killing his 27-year-old girlfriend Amber Griffin, who he had reported missing to the Battle Creek police three days earlier. Griffin still has not been found by police or heard from by family members or friends, according to police.


Horton appeared Tuesday, Jan. 19 in front of Calhoun County District Judge Tracie Tomak via Zoom from the county jail, where he has been held without bond since late June.

 

[mlhenn]

Testimony begins in homicide case involving missing Battle Creek woman yet to be found

To Note:
Griffin’s mother, Carmen Griffin, was the first of five witnesses to testify in the matter.
Battle Creek Police Officer Jessica Elsaidi and Battle Creek Police Officer Christopher Hug later testified.
Timothy Mix, the owner of Mix Hardware was also called to the stand.


No one testified Tuesday to the 911 call, the couple being seen later that night or where the receipt was found. The hearing, which concluded shortly after 5 p.m. due to time constraints, was adjourned to be finished another day, likely next week, Tomak said.

 

[mlhenn]

Witnesses testify in hearing for man charged with Amber Griffin's disappearance

Horton was charged with open murder in Griffin's disappearance. He appeared via video in court for the preliminary examination.

Several witness were called before the judge, including an administrator at Amber's former work, two police officers, and the owner of a hardware store where police said Horton was seen in surveillance footage buying a shovel days after Amber went missing.

In court, the defense objected multiple times after Amber Griffin's mom, Carman Griffin, claimed Horton abused and murdered her daughter.

Horton's next court date was tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26.

 

[mlhenn]

Boyfriend told police Amber Griffin walked away from home in June

This is an additional article. It was published today (01.19). I’m unable to view the entire article because I’ve reached my limit of free articles with the news site.

 

[mlhenn]

Mother identifies voice of missing Battle Creek woman on 911 call

Amber Griffin’s mother identified her voice from a previous 911 call.

 

[mlhenn]

https://wkzo.com/2021/01/26/boyfrie...of-amber-griffin-has-second-court-appearance/

Tuesday, WOOD TV reported that Derek Horton, the boyfriend accused in the disappearance and murder of Amber Griffin, made his second appearance in court for a preliminary hearing.


Horton, Griffin’s boyfriend, is charged with open murder in the case. Testimony Tuesday came from multiple parties, including Andrew Olsen, a lab scientist from the BCPD’s forensic unit.

Olsen said that he was asked by detectives to investigate a residence thought to be connected to the case, and there was evidence of a body being dragged through grass to a tree line. He said there was also a pair of bloody pants located nearby.

Furthermore, Olsen talked about a receipt that connected Horton to the purchase of a shovel from a local hardware store, which investigators were able to confirm by reviewing security footage.

WOOD TV also reported that this hearing is not over yet, and the next date has not been scheduled at this time.

 

[mlhenn]

Testimonies continue in hearing for Battle Creek murder suspect | WOODTV.com

The court heard from a police dispatcher, police detectives and the owner of a home police believe is connected to the case.

Shane Settles, a man who lived in the home on Oneida Street in Battle Creek, spoke about hanging out with Horton and Griffin before she went missing. Settles testified that police later found blood in the Oneida Street house after Griffin’s disappearance.

The court also heard from a lab scientist from the Battle Creek Police Department’s forensic unit about another residence police investigated. He said he was called there by two detectives.

“I was guided to the what would be the north property where the grasses would stop and there would be a wood line into the trees. Guided that way by Detective Sgt. Case and Detective Huggett showing me what they thought appeared to be a drag pattern in the grass, which I concurred with. And they took me back to an area from there that went back into an area where we located what appeared to be bloody pants,” said Andrew Olsen with Battle Creek police’s forensic unit.

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 9, 2021
Boyfriend of Battle Creek woman missing since June to stand trial for murder - mlive.com
After three days of testimony spread over the past three weeks, the boyfriend of a Battle Creek woman who has been missing since June will now stand trial for murder.

[...]

During a preliminary hearing that concluded Tuesday, Feb. 9, Calhoun County District Judge Tracie Tomak found that probable cause had been established that Griffin was dead, that the cause of her death was homicide and that enough evidence had been provided by 12 different witnesses that Horton was responsible for her death.

[...]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Boyfriend Heading To Trial For Murder Of Missing Battle Creek Mother

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In arguing for the case to be bound over to Circuit Court for trial, Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert pointed to evidence that placed Griffin’s blood at three different scenes, including in the trunk of Horton’s car.

Gilbert also referenced a receipt from a local hardware store that indicated Horton had purchased a shovel the day after Griffin went missing in June. That receipt was found at one of the scenes police were led to in their search for Griffin.

“If the truth be told — and it seems very callous, but I have a job to do — there’s no body,” Sappanos said. “Forget about the words that the police and the prosecutor are using very frequently and very openly.

“The words, ‘I assume, I guess, I suspect and I analyze.’ Here’s the long and short of it — there’s no body and there’s been no evidence, number one, that my client committed a homicide, nor how the person died and no evidence she died.”

Tomak called the case a very sad and very interesting one. To bind over the case over to Calhoun County Circuit Court, the judge explained she needed only to find probable cause that Griffin was dead, that it was a homicide and that Horton committed that homicide.

“We do not know where the body of Amber Griffin is, or if she is alive, where Amber Griffin is today,” Tomak said. “But the court is convinced, at this point, to a probable cause that Amber Griffin is deceased.

“Why is he buying a shovel?” Gilbert asked the court. “We submit: to bury her.”

Defense attorney Donald Sappanos commended Gilbert’s work and that of the Battle Creek Police Department, calling them all excellent at their jobs. But Sappanos told the court, in this case, they were throwing mud at the wall, hoping it sticks, and arguing they jumped the gun bringing a murder charge against Horton.

“Amber has not had contact with her mother or her children. She is now missing significant holidays and birthdays. She never returned to work. ... Amber Griffin has disappeared from the life that she had.”

“Each of these 12 witnesses had a piece of this puzzle that answers to the court’s satisfaction what probably happened to Amber Griffin, and that it was probably Derek Horton that was the person that was responsible for it,” Tomak said.

At Tomak’s discretion, Horton will continue to be held without bond at the Calhoun County Jail while he awaits trial in Circuit Court.
Boyfriend of Battle Creek woman missing since June to stand trial for murder

 

[imstilla.grandma]

During a preliminary hearing that concluded Tuesday, Feb. 9, Calhoun County District Judge Tracie Tomak found that probable cause had been established that Griffin was dead, that the cause of her death was homicide and that enough evidence had been provided by 12 different witnesses that Horton was responsible for her death.

In arguing for the case to be bound over to Circuit Court for trial, Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert pointed to evidence that placed Griffin’s blood at three different scenes, including in the trunk of Horton’s car.
Boyfriend of Battle Creek woman missing since June to stand trial for murder

 

[mlhenn]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Amber has been entered into NamUs.

 

[mlhenn]

Police search again for Amber Griffin, woman missing for nine months

March 29
Detectives from the Battle Creek Police Department and a Michigan State Police trooper and his cadaver search dog were in the woods again Monday looking for the body of Amber Griffin.

Horton remains in the Calhoun County jail, held without bond. A second man, Julice Haggerty, 28, also is facing charges of tampering with evidence and lying to the police.

His preliminary examination is scheduled for April 26.



On Monday, MSP Trooper Joe Bozek and his dog Dexter searched woods along the Linear Trail south of Goodale Avenue between Limit Street and Hubbard Street but found to sign of the missing woman.

Detective Sgt. Joel Case said police searched the area last summer but recently received a tip. So detectives returned to the area Friday and requested assistance from the dog, which is trained to detect the scent of human bodies.

 

[Cagle]

Vigil to Mark 1 Year Since Amber Griffin Disappeared from Battle Creek

One year after a missing Battle Creek mother was likely murdered, friends and family will hold a vigil.

June 23, 2021, will mark one year since Amber Griffin disappeared. Battle Creek Police believe the mother of two had been at a late-night house party with her boyfriend Derek Horton, who is believed to have killed Amber in the early morning hours. No one has seen or heard from the insulin dependent mother again.

...snipped by me

On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Amber's friends and family will be gathering at Leila Arboretum for a vigil to remember Amber Griffin. The public is welcome to come and join Amber's loved ones. Leila Arboretum is located at 928 West Michigan Avenue, Battle Creek, Michigan.

...more at link

 

[mlhenn]

Oh how I pray that Amber’s family receives closure.

Incidents like this I want to scream, “just tell them where you put her!”

 

[mlhenn]

https://wincountry.com/2021/07/14/a...iffin-case-headed-to-trial-in-calhoun-county/

A Battle Creek man believed to be an accomplice in the disappearance and presumed murder of Amber Griffin in 2020 will be headed to trial. 28-year-old Julice Haggerty is accused of tampering with evidence and lying to a police officer.

Her boyfriend, Derek Horton, has already been charged with her murder and is also awaiting trial.

The Battle Creek Enquirer reports in interviews with Haggerty, a friend of Horton, he acknowledged that it was likely Griffin had been seriously injured or worse.

He reportedly helped Horton clean blood and dispose of sheets. He initially said he had not seen Horton around the time of Amber’s disappearance, but the evidence proved otherwise, according to detectives.

Her body still has not been located despite several search efforts.

 

[mlhenn]

Man to face trial on evidence tampering, lying to police in homicide

Calhoun County District Court Judge Paul Beardslee in an opinion issued Tuesday ordered the case against Julice Haggerty sent to circuit court for trial.

Haggerty, 28, of Battle Creek is charged with tampering with evidence and lying to a police officer in connection with the disappearance of Amber Griffin, 27, reported missing June 24 and presumed dead.

Witnesses from the Battle Creek Police Department testified that during interviews with Haggerty, a friend of Horton, that he said he was with several people June 22, 2020, and woke the next morning to find blood on him, his shorts and sheets and the walls and furniture of the house.

He said in the interviews he cleaned the blood and then disposed of the sheets in a dumpster several blocks away.

Police said Haggerty told them he had not seen Horton since June 22 but a video showed the two men together June 23 at Mix Hardware in Battle Creek, where Horton bought a shovel.

Police also alleged that Haggerty lied about his cell phones, giving investigators different numbers for his phone.

Beardslee said there is enough evidence to send the case to the circuit court and allow a jury to decide on a question of fact.

 

[mlhenn]

Second Battle Creek Man Ordered to Trial for Likely Murder of Amber Griffin

It has been over a year since the then 27-year-old mother of two was last seen or heard from. Amber Griffin's former boyfriend, 26-year-old Derek Horton, is jailed, facing an upcoming trial. He’s charged with Amber's homicide.

There seems to be no doubt she’s been murdered. Evidence includes three separate locations of blood that was identified as Amber Griffin's and the shovel that was purchased at Mix Hardware with a receipt and video from the business that positively identifies Horton. But her body still hasn’t been found. Amber has been missing since the end of June 2020. The couple had a long documented history of domestic violence.

Now another Calhoun County Circuit Court trial is being ordered surrounding the case. Horton’s friend, 28-year-old Julice Haggerty, is also facing a trial connected to Amber’s disappearance.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Derek Horton murder trial: Neighbors describe last time they saw Amber Griffin

 

[GuyfromCanada]

BATTLE CREEK, MI -- A man accused of murder after his Battle Creek area girlfriend went missing in June 2020 has agreed to help police find her body, police said.

In a Wednesday, March 2 statement, Battle Creek police said Derek Depree Horton had agreed to take police to Amber Griffin’s body under a “conditional plea agreement.”

Battle Creek murder suspect agrees to help investigators find body of missing woman, police say