Body's finder charged with murder
 

By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Thursday, August 25, 2005 10:38 AM EDT

CASSOPOLIS - A cooperative "cold case" investigation by the Cass County Prosecutor's Office and Michigan State Police's Niles post apparently solved a 15-year-old Pokagon Township murder.

On March 7, 1990, William Whittaker was found dead at the kitchen table of his camper trailer, shot through the head with a .22-caliber bullet.

His camper had been parking temporarily at a friend's house at 3136 M-51 North as Whittaker, 42, prepared to move to Washington state.

Prosecutor Victor Fitz on Monday authorized two felony counts against a former Niles area man, Michael Dunnuck, 34.

Dunnuck reported finding Whittaker's body and had been what Fitz described as a "person of interest" since early in the case.

Dunnuck, who was 19 at the time and attending Central Michigan University, was arraigned before Fourth District Judge Paul E. Deats Wednesday afternoon on open murder and felony firearm charges. Bond was set at $500,000.

Open murder carries a penalty of life in prison or any term of years.

Felony firearm is punishable by a mandatory two-year prison term served consecutive to and prior to any other sentence.

"This is an excellent example of how renewed investigative efforts can solve challenging cases such as this 15-year-old homicide," 1st Lt. Michael Brown, Niles post commander, said at a press conference at the 1899 courthouse's Kincheloe room.

Fitz added, "This result is a tribute to the relentless efforts of the Michigan State Police. They never gave up trying to locate the killer. Dunnuck hid his involvement for many years. But now he will face justice for his crimes."

Dunnuck was arrested Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, by the state police fugitive team. Dunnuck's apprehension took place at his 16027 Murray Road residence in Byron, northeast of Lansing.

Dunnuck was found hiding in his basement.

Fitz said the suspect was aware of another warrant issued for him alleging failure to pay support for two children.

"Mr. Dunnuck does have some prior criminal history - misdemeanor activity concerning checks and he has a previous conviction in Michigan for using marijuana."

"Today he's in custody at the Cass County Jail," Fitz reported. "Additional evidence, when coupled with existing evidence in this case, thoroughly links the defendant, Michael Dunnuck, to this crime. There is at least one additional statement by the defendant acknowledging that he committed the murder that surfaced. We cannot go into great detail in regard to the facts of the case. Obviously, the bulk of the evidence will be coming out at trial."

State police reopened the case, which had been inactive since 1997, on Jan. 21, with Det. Sgt. Fabian Suarez and Trooper Matt Achterberg assigned to the new investigation. Suarez previously served a year-long stint with the state police cold case team.

During the last seven months, Suarez and Achterberg reviewed the case with

Fitz and the prosecutor's investigator on a regular basis.

The group reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, pursued new and old leads and sent out releases to the media concerning the case. Crime Stoppers also featured the investigation.

Witnesses were tracked down throughout the Midwest and East Coast, resulting in sufficient evidence emerging to charge Dunnuck with open murder and felony firearm.

"After a thorough review of the case, Det. Sgt. Suarez and Trooper Achterberg focused in on a previous witness to the murder," Brown said. "Investigators traveled to multiple states, obtaining previously uncovered evidence, information and witness statements to allow the prosecutor to charge a felony murder warrant."

New evidence includes a statement by the defendant in recent years admitting that he shot Whittaker, as well as other corroborative evidence.

During Suarez's earlier involvement with the state police cold case team, the lead investigator assisted in solving several previously-uncharged homicide cases.

Initial investigation in 1990 included troopers and detectives from the Niles post and other Cass County law enforcement officers. James Uebler, since retired, was the state police detective at that time.

Information uncovered at that time provided a solid information base to allow the 2005 cold case probe to proceed.

Robbery is indicated as a motive for the murder. Numerous silver bars were found missing from Whittaker's trailer immediately after the killing.

Both Fitz and Brown emphasized the importance of cold case efforts, when passage of time becomes an ally in discovering additional evidence.

"An important thing in cold cases - if not the important thing - is to have a prosecutor on board and, in this case, we definitely did," Suarez said to Fitz. "He was very interested in this case, he's worked side by side with us and, hopefully, it will come to a successful conclusion for us. I arrived at the Niles post in 2000 and we had four open unsolved cases. This will be the third one that we've worked with. We felt pretty strongly we'd have a pretty good chance of success" in clearing up Whittaker's killing.

Suarez said one 1998 case was resolved with a 2002 conviction. A 1987 homicide remains under review with the Berrien County prosecutor. The oldest case concerns a woman's 1975 disappearance.

"Unlike fresh homicides, in a cold-case homicide, time is not of the essence," Suarez explained. "Time is actually on your side. The thing about time is that a lot of people who were involved in 1990, who may have had information at the time, may have been afraid to disclose ... But as years go by, a lot of things change as far as loyalties to that person. People who were married may not be. Friendships change. A lot of people move and then people start talking to you" as old alliances shift.

"You cannot (overlook) one person" in retracing an investigation, Suarez said. "One person may lead you to another. Our Lansing criminal intelligence unit provided us with other leads."

"Time becomes your ally in these cases," Fitz agreed. "Lips loosen and additional information comes forward, which is what occurred here. Well over 100 persons were interviewed by the state police through the course of the initial investigation as well as the subsequent recent reopening."

Suarez said Whittaker invested in about $2,000 worth of silver bars "that you can purchase and then cash in at your leisure."

The silver bars have not been recovered, nor has the murder weapon.

"Without going into great detail," Fitz said, "they did know each other. This was not the first time they had met. Our focus right now is on Mr. Dunnock. Other persons have not been ruled out, but we don't have any immediate plans to charge anyone else at this time."

Dunnock "was not aware of the warrant for the homicide until they transported him from Byron to Lansing," Suarez said. "That's where myself and Trooper Achterberg advised him of that warrant, and he was a bit surprised."

Brown said Whittaker's family requested privacy and "not to be contacted at this time until possibly after the trial, when they will have some comments. And those will come through the prosecutor's victim-witness coordinator."