BEULAH -- Investigators removed a computer from Joni Holbrook's home to search for "forethought of doing harm" to her husband, according to search warrant documents.
Police also removed three .40 caliber cartridge cases from the bedroom where they found Michigan State Police Sgt. Melvin Holbrook, 53, dead from gunshot wounds. Investigators believe Joni Holbrook shot her husband with his service weapon, a Sig Sauer .40 caliber handgun, as he slept.
The pistol had nine remaining bullets in its magazine and one in the chamber, reports indicate. It was recovered from the kitchen counter of the home on Derby Lane near Benzonia.
Investigators found Melvin Holbrook face down on his bed with both arms folded under his chest.
Bullets were removed from his shoulder, chest and the base of his skull during an autopsy at a Grand Rapids hospital.
Holbrook, a 23-year state police veteran, worked as a desk sergeant at the Traverse City post. He previously served at posts in Richmond, Ionia, Manistee and Coldwater.
Joni Holbrook, who married Melvin in 1998, remains in custody without bond on an open count of murder. A preliminary examination, held to determine if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial, is scheduled for Sept. 28.
Melvin Holbrook filed for divorce in 2008, though the couple agreed to reconcile and the proceedings were dismissed, records show. A "close family friend" told police Melvin agreed to take Joni back provided she get a job and "get straightened out with her doctors/medications," according to police reports.
Joni Holbrook worked for 86th District Court as a clerk from 1991 until 1999. She suffers from debilitating migraines and had trouble working since leaving the court, her friends said.
The computer is set to be examined by Grand Traverse sheriff's Det. Todd Heller, the region's computer forensic examination specialist.
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