Man Charged With Murder In King's Court Death

A 23-year-old Traverse City man was charged with open murder Thursday in connection to the death of his neighbor in King's Court in Garfield Township.

Authorities received a report at 7:35am Thursday that an unresponsive man was found in a residence on David Place in the mobile home park. Upon arriving at the home, deputies found the 48-year-old man dead inside. A 23-year-old man, who was a neighbor and acquintance of the victim and was believed to have been inside the victim's home, was taken to Munson Medical Center for physical and mental evaluation.

During the course of their investigation Thursday, the Sheriff's Office requested the assistance of the Michigan State Police Crime Lab to search two residences on David Place and collect evidence pertaining to the victim's death. A preliminary investigation determined there were obvious signs of trauma on the body of the victim, which detectives believe contributed to the man's death. The cause and manner of death has yet to be confirmed by an autopsy.

On Thursday night, the Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office announced the 23-year-old neighbor was being lodged at Grand Traverse County Jail on open murder charges. Neither the suspect nor the victim have yet been publicly identified by the department. The investigation into the suspected homicide remains ongoing.