GRAND RAPIDS (AP) - A parole absconder has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the slaying of an 81-year-old man at a western Michigan hotel.
A judge issued the mandatory sentence last Wednesday for 30-year-old Matthew Brunn. He was convicted last month of felony murder in the strangulation death of Casey Wybenga, a former restaurateur.
Brunn says he was sorry for what happened. Michael Wybenga says he was "very proud" to be Wybenga's son but takes "no pleasure" in Brunn's punishment.
Casey Wybenga was found dead and his vehicle missing Dec. 30 at a Walker hotel. Brunn was arrested in January in Detroit after police say he stole a vehicle belonging to Wybenga.
Brunn confessed, but his defense lawyer raised the prospect that various ailments could have killed Wybenga.
Published: Mon, Aug 17, 2015
