A murder charge has been filed months after a fatal shooting in Benton Harbor.
20-year-old Willie Deandre Hassel is formally charged with open murder, which carries the possibility of life without parole. He’s accused of shooting 30-year-old John Conyers (no relation to the embattled Michigan politician) on April 7th in the parking lot of a Salvation Army.
Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic believes Conyers was shot and killed over the “illicit sale of pills.” A fight reportedly broke out between the two, and Hassel allegedly shot Conyers twice in the torso.
He’s being held on $700,000 bail at the Berrien County jail.
He’s also facing a laundry list of other charges from an incident that took place months earlier on Dec. 1, 2016. Those charges have their own $50,000 bond. Those charges are:
- Unarmed Robbery (15 year maximum)
- Discharging a Weapon in or at a Building (10 year maximum)
- Two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Eight years maximum total)
- Domestic Violence (misdemeanor)
- Careless Discharge of a Firearm (misdemeanor)
- RELATED: One injured in Benton Harbor shooting
