Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety continues its investigation into the homicide of a 16-year-old Wyoming student as the community works on recovering from its second teen homicide in 2016.
Two 15-year-old suspects were arrested in the connection to the homicide of Michael White. White’s body was found on the west side of Wyoming’s Lions Park Saturday, March 19, by a resident walking his dog. According to reports, White had suffered head trauma. An autopsy was conducted on Monday to determine the exact cause of White’s death, but police are not releasing the results.
Today, Carlos Delgado, 15, of Kentwood, was arraigned in Wyoming District Court and was waived over as an adult to 17th Circuit Court Family Division. Delgado is scheduled to be back in court on April 13.
The other suspect, a 15-year-old from Wyoming is being held on an open murder charge as the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office determines if he will be charged as an adult or as a juvenile. Prosecutors have until Monday to make that decision. Both suspects have criminal records.
In a statement released yesterday, Wyoming Public Safety officials said “…detectives continue with their investigation into this homicide.” Anyone with information is being asked to contact the department at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
Wyoming Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reeder said the district does have a plan in place to help students and staff deal with tragic situations such as the sudden loss of a student or staff member.
“White was not attending Wyoming High School, so we had small groups available and social workers were on hand to talk to students at anytime,” Reeder said. “On Monday morning, we made students aware of this and we have had students come down and talk and they have had a lot to talk about.”
Reeder said he didn’t know the names of the suspects and they were not attending the Wyoming High School. “If they were with us, they weren’t with us now,” he said, adding that there have been no reports of students missing from the school’s roster.
There has been an outpouring on Facebook for White, with most comments talking about the Wyoming teenager’s big heart. A vigil was held Monday evening at a skateboard park at Wyoming’s Prairie Park where White used to skateboard. Nearly 100 friends and family members attended. A memorial service for White is scheduled at Abundant Life Church, 4041 Byron Center Ave. SW, Friday, March 25.
The incident at Lions Park happened two months after 17-year-old Kelloggsville High School student Isaiah Blue was fatally shot Jan. 27 in a robbery attempt in the area of S. Division Avenue and 44th Street in Wyoming. Sixteen-year-old Daniel Benavides and 18-year-old Mitchell Savickas are both facing murder and armed robbery charges as adults. A preliminary hearing for both was earlier in March and a status conference between the judge and attorneys is set for April.
A vigil was held for Blue in February with more than 600 people coming to the Kelloggsville High School.
It has been about a year and half since the city of Wyoming has had to deal with a teen homicide. In August 2014, 17-year-old Godwin Heights student Ta’Carhri Richardson was killed after Marquis Kilgore was handling a gun in the back seat of a car that Richardson was driving when the gun went off. Kilgore was sentenced in February 2015 to two years for a felony firearm charge and two and half to 15 years for manslaughter.
