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Son charged in beating death of father in Harris Township

PHILLIPS-DONOVAN

MENOMINEE — A 35-year-old Bark River man was arraigned on an open murder charge in Menominee County District Court on Wednesday after allegedly killing his adopted father in Harris Township on Tuesday.

Gary Paul Phillips-Donovan of 3071 D Road, Apt. 208, Bark River, was officially charged with one count of homicide-open murder. The felony is punishable by life in prison.

Legal documents filed in the case give details of the investigation.

Michigan State Police began a homicide investigation after Michael Alan Donovan, 74, of Harris Township, was found dead in the detached garage of his home in Harris Township Tuesday afternoon.

Troopers from the Michigan State Police-Gladstone Post were called to a residence on Old U.S. 2 and 41 near Eustis Road in Menominee County at around 12:35 p.m. Tuesday.

According to troopers, investigation at the scene revealed a deceased man, later identified as Donovan, with extensive trauma to his face and head. A forensic autopsy determined Donovan died from blunt force trauma to the head, and the death was homicide.

According to the Menominee County’s Prosecutor’s Office, witnesses, including the victim’s wife and granddaughter, saw Phillips-Donovan in the residence where he had a disagreement with Donovan shortly before Donovan was found dead in the detached garage.

Residents of the Elders Housing Complex in the Hannahville Indian Community, including Phillips-Donovan’s mother, witnessed Phillips-Donovan throwing something into the dumpster behind the complex, according to the prosecutor’s office.

At 2:23 p.m. Tuesday, the Harris Township Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at N16255 Hannahville B-1 Road in Wilson — a location where Phillips-Donovan is affiliated with. A fire was located inside a stove in the detached garage of the residence.

Volunteer firefighters reported to officials they found the charred remains of clothing inside the stove.

The prosecutor’s office also stated an acquaintance of Phillips-Donovan contacted Hannahville Police Department and placed Phillips-Donovan in the area of Hannahville B-1 Road in the afternoon.

Investigators said they have no reason to believe there are any other suspects at large.

The Marquette Crime Lab was contacted and responded to the scene. Officers said the additional scenes on Hannahville Road were processed for evidence.

Bark River-Harris and Hannahville Indian Schools were put on lockdown briefly on Tuesday afternoon while law enforcement searched for Phillips-Donovan.

Phillips-Donovan was taken into custody at around 2:08 p.m. Tuesday when he was stopped at the Oasis gas station, near the Island Resort and Casino in Harris Township.

A preliminary examination for Phillips-Donovan is scheduled for Dec. 11 at 1:30 p.m.

Menominee County Judge Robert Jamo maintained the bond at $750,000 cash or surety.

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