Victim, Suspect Identified In King's Court Homicide

The identities of a a 48-year-old man found dead at a King's Court residence and his 23-year-old suspected killer were both released by authorities Thursday.

The body of Christopher Allan Kleehammer was found shortly after 7:30am Wednesday at 1531 David Place in King's Court mobile home park in Garfield Township. Central Dispatch received a 911 call from a nearby resident who told dispatchers his son, Dallas David Walker, had killed Kleehammer and confessed the crime to his girlfriend.

Upon arrival at the scene, deputies secured Kleehammer's residence and located Walker walking down David Place. They took Walker into custody, eventually transporting him to Munson Medical Center for evaluation. Search warrants were obtained for the residences of both the victim and the suspect, with the Michigan State Police Crime Lab processing both scenes until late into the evening Wednesday. The homes still remain under protection by authorities.

Preliminary investigation results determined Kleehammer and Walker were both neighbors and acquaintances. At some point after 2am Wednesday, Walker went to Kleehammer's residence. At 7am, Walker returned to his own home and made comments to other residents that led Walker's father to go check on Kleehammer, where he discovered the man's body. The father then called 911.

According to authorities, Kleehammer had obvious signs of blunt force trauma to the head. His body was taken to Kalamazoo for an autopsy to determine an official cause of death, which has not yet been released. After speaking with Walker at the Sheriff's Office, detectives arrested the man and took him to Grand Traverse County Jail on felony open murder charges. Walker is scheduled to be arraigned via video today (Friday) at 8:30 am in front of Judge Thomas Phillips.