KALKASKA -- The trial of a Detroit-area man accused of killing and dismembering a Big Rapids woman is under way.
David DeJonge, 46, is charged with an open count of murder and mutilation of a body in the death of Sarah Wilson, 26. Jury selection began Monday and was expected to continue this morning in front of Kalkaska Circuit Judge Janet M. Allen.
Police found Wilson's torso in a swampy area of Kalkaska County's Oliver Township on May 22, 2008. Her parents reported her missing May 12 after she didn't arrive at their Big Rapids home for a Mother's Day visit.
Wilson knew DeJonge for several years and lived with him in Bloomfield Township, her father previously said. DeJonge was supposed to drop her off in Big Rapids before continuing to a cabin his family owns in Kalkaska County's Orange Township.
Investigators later found what they believe to be Wilson's blood on multiple items in the cabin, Kalkaska Prosecutor Brian Donnelly said.
They eventually located her remains after matching a set of tire tracks in the cabin's driveway to vehicle tracks near the edge of Mecum Road in Oliver Township, Donnelly said. The tracks on Mecum were noticeably close to the edge of the road, and police found Wilson's remains nearby.
A host of motions and other proceedings led to the trial, which originally was scheduled for April. Wilson's parents, Patrick and Helene Wilson, traveled from Big Rapids to Kalkaska for all of the proceedings, and they plan to attend the trial.
"Like they say, it's part of the healing process," Patrick Wilson said. "We're relieved that it's finally here, and hopefully justice prevails."
Investigators and Donnelly have worked on the case for "hundreds of hours," Donnelly said Tuesday.
Forensic pathologist David Start testified during DeJonge's preliminary examination that he believes the body was dismembered with a "sawing type instrument" sometime after Wilson was killed. He believes the woman was the victim of a homicide, he said, but he couldn't determine an exact cause of death.
Wilson's torso had a few large bruises that appeared to be the result of injuries sustained when she was alive, Start said.
Related Stories:
- Preliminary exam held in DeJonge trial
- Suspect arraigned on murder charge
- Man charged in murder, mutilation
- Woman's body found; murder suspected
- Woman's body found in Kalkaska County
- Police looking for missing Kalkaska woman
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