Academics

3 Teens Face Felony Murder Charges in MSU Student Death

By

Three teens are facing felony murder charges in the death of a 19-year-old Michigan State University, (MSU) marketing student.

The partially clothed battered body of Dustyn L. Frolka was discovered at Interstate 69 in Bath Township on the night of Feb. 15, NY Daily News reports.

Chuck Sherman, Clinton County Prosecutor, told the Detroit Free Press that the teen was allegedly thrown from a moving vehicle after being robbed and beaten with brass knuckles. Frolka of Owosso was declared dead at the Sparrow Hospital.

Samantha Grigg, 18, Tyrel Bredernitz, 18, and Brendon Heim, 16, are charged with felony murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in the sophomore's death. If found guilty the suspects will be sentenced to life imprisonment. After police obtained search warrants, the trio was arrested Saturday and locked up without bond in Clinton County District Court, St. Johns.

Grigg is a senior at Saline High School near Ann Arbor, Bredernitz is a Saline High graduate, while Heim dropped out as a sophomore.

The police officials are awaiting toxicology results to determine the cause of Frolka's death. They claimed that the suspects might have been involved in a drug robbery that caused the death of Frolka.

According to court records, Frolka was reportedly arrested by MSU police for cocaine possession Jan. 31. On Feb. 1 he was asked to vacate the MSU dorm for his unlawful conduct, university officials said.

Frolka shared a post on his personal twitter account Feb. 15, hours before his body was found. The tweet made a reference to a hallucinogenic drug, DMT. "I've never done DMT and tonight is about to change s---."

Frolka, father of a 10-month-old girl, aspired to be a rapper. Blake Selby, a fellow hip-hop musician, said that Frolka was a brilliant rapper but "had been on kind of a downward spiral" since fall. Selby said that Frolka signed a Lansing-based label too.

"The thoughts and prayers of the MSU community are with his family and friends," the University said in a statement.                                                       

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics