In 2025, more people died in Oakland County at the hands of others compared to the previous year, according to a database compiled by The Oakland Press.
As the year ended, there were 30 reported homicides — a 30% increase from 2024 — based on information from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies.
Two of the dead were children, boys ages 5 and 12. The oldest were in their 90s.
In three of the cases, the victim’s adult son or daughter is charged in the slayings, and in another, the victim’s stepson is charged. In one case, a man is accused of killing his sister and young nephew. In two others, the victim’s fiancé is the accused killer.
But there is a glimmer of good news. There have been convictions in two of the cases, and in most of the others, accused killers have been arrested and are in custody, awaiting their next court appearances.
The most recent homicide was discovered by Milford police officers on New Year’s Eve while conducting a welfare check. The victim suffered a “violent attack,” officials said.
Another recent case happened in Southfield on Christmas Day when two men fatally shot each other.
In three cases, the killers died by suicide after shooting their spouse or significant other, police said. In another case, Oakland County prosecutors determined the victim died from an accidental shooting, so no charges were filed.
A look back at totals over the past five years:
• 2025 — 30 deaths
• 2024 — 23 deaths
• 2023 — 16 deaths
• 2022 — 37 deaths
• 2021 — 35 deaths
The killings in 2025 were spread across 16 communities: Southfield (7), Pontiac (4), Commerce Township (3), Hazel Park (2), Royal Oak (2), Waterford Township (2), Auburn Hills (1), Clawson (1), Farmington (1), Ferndale (1), Highland Township (1), Holly (1), Milford (1), Rochester Hills (1), Royal Oak Township (1) and Troy (1).
The following are summaries of the 2025 cases, with information from court documents and police reports as of Jan. 2, 2026, starting with the most recent:
Name not released
A 26-year-old Milford man was found dead inside his residence at Milford Park Apartments in the 800 block of East Summit Street on Dec. 31. Police officers discovered his body while conducting a welfare check as requested by the man’s girlfriend, who reportedly hadn’t been able to make contact with him for an extended period of time. The victim was found dead inside his residence with “injuries consistent with a violent attack,” according to Milford Police Chief Scott Tarasiewicz.
Milford Park Apartments on East Summit Street, where a man was found dead on New Year’s Eve in an apparent homicide. (Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group)
A 29-year-old Sterling Heights man was taken into custody that night and held in the Oakland County Jail. Tarasiewicz said it’s believed the suspect and victim knew each other. As of Jan. 2, police hadn’t released the names of the victim or suspect, and the case was still under investigation.
Names not released
Two men — a 30-year-old Detroiter and a 20-year-old from Madison Heights — were killed on Dec. 25 in what police said was a shootout precipitated by a domestic violence incident at the Riverstone Apartments on Shiawassee Street near Eight Mile Road in Southfield.
Prior to the shootings, police said, the 30-year-old had beaten his girlfriend after she accused him of infidelity and property damage, then left the residence. She contacted her friend for help — who then came to the apartment with the Madison Heights man — and the three were packing up the boyfriend’s belongings when he forced his way back into the apartment, grabbed his AR-47 rifle from the couch and began firing. The other man shot back with a 9mm handgun, and both ended up dead. Prior to dying, the 30-year-old shot the girlfriend in the hand. The 30-year-old’s 3-year-old child was present during the shootings, police said.
The AR-47 rifle used in the Christmas Day double fatal shooting in Southfield (Southfield Police Dept.)
The 9mm handgun used in the Christmas Day double fatal shooting in Southfield (Southfield Police Dept.)
Police Chief Elvin Barren declined to release the names of the two men, citing concern and respect for the grieving families affected by the slayings.
Taron Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick, 40, of Detroit, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Radisson Hotel at 26555 Telegraph Road at about 2:45 a.m. Nov. 30. He was subsequently pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation indicates it was a targeted shooting, officials said. Police haven’t announced an arrest in the case.
Antonio Jason Craig
Craig, 52, of Pontiac, died Nov. 29 after being shot while in a pickup truck on Karen Court in Pontiac. According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, deputies on patrol found Craig unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds.
The suspected shooter, 26-year-old Terrell Edwards of Pontiac — Craig’s stepson — was arrested outside a Waterford Township restaurant less than two hours later. Charged with first-degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felony firearm, Edwards was recently ordered by a district court judge to undergo a forensic evaluation for competency. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 17. Edwards’ criminal history includes a conviction for unarmed robbery for which he spent a year in jail.
Kristine Lynn Hall
Hall, 59, of Holly, was found dead inside her home on Ash Street on Nov. 25. According to the Oakland County Medical Examiner, she was strangled and suffocated.
Her 39-year-old son, James Robert Hall, who had been living with her for several months, is charged with her death and other related crimes. He was arrested in Kalamazoo after allegedly stealing his mother’s car, jewelry and cash. Police say he admitted to killing his mother after she scolded him for making poor choices in life. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 20 for a probable cause conference.
Francesk Shkambi
Shkambi, 41, of Howell, was fatally shot on Nov. 16 outside the Prime 7 Bar & Restaurant in Commerce Township, where he was employed as the general manager. He was found on the patio outside the restaurant, 8635 Cooley Lake Road, shortly after 9:30 p.m. First responders transported him to DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, where he died.
Tonin Pjetri, 65, of Farmington Hills, turned himself in at the Farmington Hills Police Department about 20 minutes after the shooting was reported and admitted to the crime, officials said. It’s believed the shooting, reportedly witnessed by several people, occurred after a disagreement between the two men escalated, according to investigators.
Prime 7 Bar and Restaurant on Cooley Lake Road in Commerce Township (Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group)
Pjetri is charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 7.
Deevon Cornea Brown
Brown, 36, of Pontiac, was shot to death shortly after 6 a.m. on Nov. 15 in the 200 block of Osmun Street in Pontiac, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Brown was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
Deputies initially responded to a report of shots fired at a residence in the 80 block of Wall Street when additional 911 callers reported similar incidents, including on Osmun Street, the sheriff’s office said. No other injuries were reported.
Anthony Louis Ward, 41, of Waterford Township, was arrested the same day in Farmington Hills by the sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Team and later charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and two counts of felony firearm. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 13 for a preliminary exam.
David Ong
Ong, 83, of Bloomfield Hills, was stabbed to death at his daughter’s home on Sheridan Drive in Royal Oak on Oct. 24, allegedly by a woman taking care of his toddler granddaughter.
Ong had gone to the home to check on the child as requested by his daughter, who was out of town at the time, officials said.
David Ong (photo provided)
Samantha Rae Booth, 35, of Chesterfield Township, is charged with first-degree homicide and other felonies in connection with Ong’s death. In November, a district court judge ordered a competency evaluation for Booth. Her next court date is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Name not released
A married couple was found dead in their Waterford Township home on Oct. 16 in an apparent murder-suicide, officials said. Officers discovered the bodies at around 6 p.m. after responding to a report of two people dead inside the residence on Crescent Road. A 97-year-old woman and a 96-year-old man were found seated in the living room with fatal gunshot wounds, according to Waterford Township Police Chief Scott Underwood. A handgun was recovered from the scene.
Detectives determined that both had “extensive” medical histories, Underwood said. No other information, including the names of the couple and which of them was the shooter, has been released by police despite repeated requests from The Oakland Press.
Ada Mae Simmons-Jones
Simmons-Jones, 45, was shot to death on Oct. 5 at her home on Bainbridge Drive in Southfield.
The victim’s daughter, Riley Donaldson, 22, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony firearm for the death. According to Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren, Simmons-Jones was the grandmother and legal guardian of Donaldson’s 3-year-old daughter. Conflicts with the custodial arrangements may have been a contributing factor in the homicide, officials said. The child and Simmons-Jones’ 77-year-old mother-in-law were at the Bainbridge house at the time of the shooting. Neither was harmed in the incident, Barren said. The 3-year-old was placed in her grandfather’s custody.
A district court judge ordered a competency evaluation for Donaldson and scheduled her next court appearance for Jan. 21.
Mykqelle Rashad Scott
Scott, 28, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was shot to death on Sept. 1 outside the Fairfield Inn on South Rochester Road in Rochester Hills.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting stemmed from an altercation in the parking lot of the hotel involving at least three people. Scott was killed and another victim sustained injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
No one has been charged with the homicide, but Calvin Roger Jones Jr. is held in the Oakland County Jail with a bond set at $2 million on five felony charges in connection with the incident — assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to commit armed robbery, carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of felony firearm. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 12.
Linda Hill and Kardi Jackson
Hill, 41, and her 12-year-old son were found fatally stabbed with knife cuts to their throats at their Hazel Park home on Berdeno Street on Sept.1.
Hill’s brother, Ladamien Keith Hill, 44, of Redford Township, is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide for the deaths. Officials said they recovered bloody clothing, Ladamien Hill’s written notes about plans to flee and items he needed to do so, as well as other evidence pointing to him as the killer. Prior to his arrest in Pontiac — according to family members — Ladamien Hill returned to Linda Hill’s home after police had cleared the scene, asked for forgiveness, lay naked on her bed and then left, officials said.
Dekevin Dorsey, friend of Kardi Jackson, at a September vigil at Hazel Park Middle School (David Guralnik/The Detroit News)
A district court judge ordered Ladamien Hill to be evaluated for competency. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 9.
Gregory Hill
Hill, 65, of Southfield, was fatally shot outside the Devon Park apartment complex in Royal Oak on July 31. He was a maintenance employee at the apartment complex and was working when he was killed.
Nathaniel Rockwell, 32, is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of felonious assault and three counts of felony firearm in connection with Hill’s death. According to Oakland County prosecutors, Rockwell, a tenant at the complex, had received an eviction notice before the shooting due to multiple incidents with firearms. He allegedly confronted building management and a tenant who had reported him, got into an argument, then retrieved a gun from his vehicle and began firing at Hill, who was shot approximately 11 times at close range, prosecutors said.
In August, a judge ordered a competency evaluation for Rockwell. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 9.
Omarrel Sahon Ford
Ford, 18, was shot to death on July 8 near West South Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Pontiac. A 19-year-old was also shot during the incident and survived.
Oakland County sheriff’s deputies responding to a report of a multiple-injury shooting found Ford lying in a vacant field and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported to an area hospital where he died, the sheriff’s office said. The other shooting victim was also transported to the hospital and underwent surgery.
A juvenile is facing charges in connection with the case.
Name not released
A 44-year-old man from Detroit was fatally shot on June 22 at a large gathering in Civic Center Park in Royal Oak Township. Police have not released the victim’s name or any information on a possible suspect or suspects. According to Michigan State Police, which is handling the case, the victim suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was transported to an area hospital, where he died. A 33-year-old and a 19-year-old, both from Detroit, and a 15-year-old from Macomb County were also shot, but survived, police said.
Civic Center Park in Royal Oak Township where an early morning shooting last June left one dead and three injured (Michigan State Police)
More than six months after the shootings, MSP Lt. Mike Shaw said an investigation continues and no additional information is available.
Thomas Washington
Washington, 26, was outdoors in the area of Auburn Avenue and Russell Street on June 13 when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire, killing him, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Tremaine Jevon Love, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and several weapons-related crimes in connection with the shooting. He was arrested at a traffic stop in West Bloomfield Township a few hours after the incident.
Love’s criminal history includes convictions for home invasion, illegal drugs and weapons-related crimes. He was on probation at the time of the shooting.
Love’s next appearance in Oakland County Circuit Court is scheduled for March 5. Trial is scheduled for April 6.
Mallory Myers
Myers, 33, was stabbed to death on June 13 at a home on Hackett Street in Waterford Township. Seth Martin, 25, who police described as her fiancé, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Martin called 911 shortly after 3:30 p.m. that day to report he had stabbed Myers, police said. When officers arrived at the home, they encountered Martin with blood on his arms, officials said, and found Myers’s body on a bedroom floor.
An investigation revealed Myers had been stabbed multiple times and died from those injuries. The suspected murder weapon was recovered from a sink in the home. Martin has been referred for a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he’s competent to stand trial.
Leslie Cataldo
Cataldo, 66, of Fenton, died June 5 after surgery for a neck wound she suffered in an assault June 4 at a residence in the 3600 block of Crooks Road in Royal Oak. Cataldo had reportedly called police from the home of her 46-year-old daughter, Jennifer Cataldo, stating that the daughter was having a mental health crisis and needed to be taken to a hospital. When officers arrived, they found signs of a struggle and Leslie Cataldo unresponsive on the floor. She was transported to Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital and underwent surgery for the neck wound, but died from her injuries, officials said.
Jennifer Cataldo, 46, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 26.
Derek Ayden Scholl
Scholl, 18, of Troy, was shot to death on May 22 at a home near 14 Mile Road and Renshaw Avenue in Clawson.
According to Oakland County prosecutors, the shooting happened when Scholl, 21-year-old Tylaj Clark-Spencer of Howell, 20-year-old Joshua Peel of Royal Oak, and a 17-year-old were preparing to leave a Clawson apartment to attend a party.
Clark-Spencer was carrying a gun and checking to see if it was loaded when the weapon fired and Scholl was killed, prosecutors said. A few hours later, it’s alleged the 17-year-old hid the gun and other evidence for Clark-Spencer.
Derek Scholl (photo from GoFundMe)
Clark-Spencer was charged with manslaughter, receiving and concealing a stolen firearm, and two counts of felony firearm. He pleaded no contest to the four felonies on Dec. 16. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 3 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Yasmine Poles. Peel and the 17-year-old were charged with accessory after the fact to manslaughter. Officials said it appears the gun used in the shooting had been stolen from a safe belonging to the 17-year-old’s father. In November, Peel pleaded guilty to the crime and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 13.
Rachel Renee Wooten
Wooten, 23, was fatally shot on April 15 at a residence in the Highland Hills mobile home community in Highland Township. The shooting was reported by Wooten’s 22-year-old fiancé, Michael Devon Webb, who called 911 and said he had shot her and himself, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Highland Hills housing community, where Rachel Wooten was fatally shot April 15,, 2025, allegedly by her fiance, Michael Webb
(Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group)
Webb initially claimed it happened accidentally while he was cleaning his gun, but the evidence doesn’t support that, officials said. Wooten reportedly lived with Webb at the home, located in the 200 block of Maple, along with their infant son. She died at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the neck, officials said. Webb is charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 18.
Eddie Fisher Clora
Clora, 61, of Detroit, died April 12 after being stabbed outside a BP gas station at Eight Mile and Lahser roads in Southfield during a reported fight with Gregory Anthony Clark. Clark, 66, of Detroit, is charged with manslaughter.
Officers were called to the gas station around 9:30 p.m. and found Clora bleeding from an apparent stab wound. He was transported to Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital, where he died, police said. Clora’s family identified Clark as the assailant based on video evidence, according to Oakland County prosecutors, and described the two men as friends. Clark turned himself in four days after the stabbing, prosecutors said.
Clark’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Oakland County Circuit Court.
Donavin James Cuevas
Cuevas, 21, of Burton, died April 11 after being shot in the head at a Commerce Township home in the 300 block of Vinona Terrace. Investigators said he suffered a bullet wound to the back of the head/neck area after he and the shooter, a 24-year-old Commerce Township man, had finished playing video games. The man was taken into custody and released from jail the next day. The shooting was determined to be accidental; the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office denied a warrant request.
Mamadou Diallo
Diallo, 26, of Detroit, was fatally shot on March 9 in Ferndale in what investigators believe was a road rage incident that turned deadly. Diallo, a Senegalese, was a DoorDash delivery driver who had just picked up an order at a White Castle restaurant on Woodward Avenue in Ferndale when he encountered a speeding vehicle driving erratically, which almost hit him, investigators said. The driver, later identified as Terrell Simms, 29, waited for Diallo at a traffic light and then opened fire. Diallo was struck in the torso and died at an area hospital.
In October, Simms, 29, a jury convicted Simms, 29, of second-degree homicide and four firearms-related offenses. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27.
Jackie Jo Torrez
Torrez, 34, of Saginaw, died March 7 in an apparent murder-suicide at the Holiday Inn Express in Auburn Hills. According to police, Marcus Isaiah Taylor, 33, fatally shot Torrez in a domestic incident before fatally shooting himself. Torrez’s 3-year-old daughter was present at the time of the shootings, but suffered no physical injuries, police said. Responding to a call, Auburn Hills police officers were in the hallway approaching the room when they heard two gunshots. Officers immediately entered the room and found Torrez and Taylor dead, police said.
Jamal “Tahiry” Broom
Broom, 29, was shot to death on Feb. 9 outside the Riverstone Apartments on Shiawassee Street near Eight Mile Road in Southfield. Officials said Broom was a sex worker and a member of the transgender community who was dressed in women’s clothing at the time of death. Police said Broom suffered a bullet wound to the head and was lying facedown in the snow when officers arrived. Broom’s accused killer, Robert Ridges, 29, has been charged with second-degree homicide. Prior to the shooting, police said investigators determined that Ridges had made approximately 33 calls to sex workers that morning, including Broom. During interviews with detectives, Ridges reportedly claimed that he didn’t know Broom was transgender. Ridges’ next appearance in Oakland County Circuit Court is scheduled for Feb. 26.
Barbara Aubuchon
Aubuchon, 47, died Feb. 2 after being shot by her husband, Jeffery Aubuchon, 51, who then killed himself, according to the Farmington Public Safety Department. The shootings happened at the couple’s home on Warner Street, in the area of Farmington and Nine Mile roads. Officers responded to a call reporting an assault in progress and found Barbara Aubuchon had been shot. Jeffery Aubuchon barricaded himself in the home and a SWAT team was deployed, police said. Early the next day, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Thomas Cooper
Cooper, 5, of Royal Oak, died Jan. 31 in an explosion at Oxford Center in Troy while undergoing treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. The child’s mother was also injured in the explosion.
Facing felony charges for his death are Tamela Peterson, owner and founder of the business; Gary Marken, management assistant; Jeffrey Mosteller, safety manager; and Aleta Moffitt, who was reportedly operating the chamber at the time of the explosion. Prosecutors allege the equipment was tampered with to make it appear to be newer than it was and safety guidelines were disregarded.
Thomas Cooper
Peterson, Marken and Mosteller are charged with second-degree homicide with an alternative charge of manslaughter. Moffitt is charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records. A continuing preliminary exam is scheduled to resume on Jan. 12 in 52-4 District Court. At its conclusion, a judge will determine if there’s probable cause for the cases to advance to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.
Sam Simko
Simko, 66, of Commerce Township, died Jan. 13 after being shot multiple times at his marijuana growing business on University Drive in Pontiac. Approximately 50 pounds of marijuana was stolen, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors allege that Simko was lured to a purported business meeting as a ruse for the planned robbery.
Sam Simko was found fatally shot outside this Pontiac building where he housed a cannabis grow operation. (Peg McNichol/MediaNews Group)
Facing charges of felony murder and armed robbery are William Creasy, 35; Scott Brown, 40; Deonte Prophett, 32; and Christopher Matacia, 34. Prophett, who investigators believe was the shooter, is also charged with felony firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Following the armed robbery and slaying, according to officials, the four men, all Ohioans, fled to Cincinnati, where they were arrested and subsequently extradited to Michigan. They’re held in the Oakland County Jail and due back in Oakland County Circuit Court on Jan.15.