Man, 74, sentenced to life in Realtor slaying

Sat, Oct 10, 2009    to del.icio.us

MUSKEGON (AP) — A Muskegon-area man will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a real estate agent after a judge decided the crime constituted first-degree murder under state law.

Muskegon County Circuit Judge James Graves on Thursday ruled Robert Johnson, 74, committed first-degree murder when he shot and killed 33-year-old Troy VanderStelt in VanderStelt's Roosevelt Park real estate office in July 2008.

Johnson, of Roosevelt Park, pleaded guilty Tuesday to open murder, allowing the judge to hear evidence and testimony to decide whether he was guilty of first- or second-degree murder.

Graves ruled in the unusual proceeding at the end of a two-and-a-half-day hearing.

First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.