REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Who was Michael Williams? 4 charged in gruesome murder of Black man whose body was found burning in Iowa ditch

Police found the body of 44-year-old Michael Williams, of Grinnell, Iowa, when an active fire had been reported off a road near Kellogg, Iowa on September 16
UPDATED SEP 24, 2020
(Iowa Department of Public Safety)
(Iowa Department of Public Safety)

KELLOGG, IOWA: The authorities have arrested and charged three men and one woman in connection with the death of a Black man, Michael Williams, whose body was found burning in a ditch in Iowa. One of the men who was arrested, Steven Vogel, 31, had already been in jail on unrelated charges.

As per the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Vogel will be facing charges of first-degree murder and also abuse of a corpse. A statement from the department read, "The investigation has revealed no evidence to show the acts against Michael Williams were motivated by his race nor that his death was the result of a hate crime."

Last week on Wednesday, September 16, the authorities had received a report of a fire in a roadside ditch close to the small city of Kellogg in central Iowa. The dead man was later identified as Michael Williams, 44, from Grinnell, the authorities revealed, CNN states. According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, four suspects Vogel, Julia Cox, 55, Roy Garner, 57, and Cody Johnson, 29, have been charged in connection to Williams's death. Vogel has been described as a 'known acquaintance' of Williams. 

The remaining three accused will be facing charges for abuse of a corpse, destruction of evidence, and accessory after the fact. All four of the accused are currently in custody, the Daily Beast reported. While speaking at a press conference, Iowa DCI Special Agent Adam DeCamp, said, "Michael was killed in Grinnell on or about on Sept. 12, 2020. Michael’s body was then wrapped in cloth, plastic, and carpet, which was secured to him by rope and duct tape."

"He was then taken to rural Kellogg on the afternoon of September 16, where he was set ablaze, " DeCamp shared. Grinnell Police Chief Dennis Reilly shared that at least one of the suspects had known the victim "for years". Reilly revealed, "Our mission from the very beginning and that will continue is to bring justice for Mike and Justice for his family."

"I just want to be clear to say: This was not a random act of violence. Those responsible for this heinous act knew each other," Reilly added. "The medical examiner's office had ruled Williams' death as a homicide as there was evidence that was consistent with strangulation," DeCamp shared. 

Who is Michael Williams?

Paula Terrell, Williams's aunt, spoke to Des Moines Register and shared how the deceased had moved to Grinnell about 12 years ago from his native Syracuse. The father of five had worked at several fast-food restaurants but was recently unemployed after his diabetes worsened. While Williams would call his family daily, his aunt said he stopped calling on September 12. 

Janalee Boldt, Williams's ex-wife and the mother of his children, spoke to CNN affiliate KCCI about her ex-husband. "He was a family person," she said. "His kids were always important." Williams had five children with Boldt. Two of them, Jameka and Michael, told KCCI they used to take walks with their father. "My favorite memory about him is always making me laugh."

Williams's devastated family spoke out about his death and said that they hope justice will be served. Terrell told the Des Moines Register, "All we wanted was for him to come home. Now we have to bring him home in the worst possible state."

"We will fight for justice. This is our family’s mission, no matter what—we will fight for his legacy to be remembered as who he was: A loving, kind, gentle giant who loved his family, who loved his children."

Friends of the Williams family started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help pay for expenses the family my incur as part of the investigation, for his funeral as well for his children. The initial $10,000 goal was met in less than 24 hours and has now been raised to $60,000 of which 52,500 has been met. 

POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW