Michigan – A Michigan was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, unIawfuI driving away of a motor vehicIe, and Iarceny in a buiIding after the death of his 59-year-old parent, Cristine, at their home in Michigan, authorities said. The defendant, 39-year-old J. Hall, was denied bond on the murder charge and remains in custody as the investigation continues.

Police were called to the woman’s on Nov. 25 after her famiIy member forced his way into the home when she did not answer calls and failed to show up for a planned family gathering. Inside, the man found the victim dead in her bed. Her vehicle was missing from the driveway, which raised concerns and prompted further investigation. Officers observed bruising on the woman’s neck and other indicators suggestive of a struggle.

Investigators soon identified the woman’s so n as a person of interest. They learned he had been living with his mom for several months and had a felony warrant for breaking and entering. A statewide alert was issued for him and the missing vehicle. The Department of Public Safety later located the defendant in the stolen car in a convenience store parking lot, where a clerk reported he was inside using the store phone and saying he was thinking about killing himself. During their conversation, he told officers he had recently killed his parent, leading to his detention.

During interviews with police detectives at the jail, he confessed to killing his mother, Michigan authorities said. He told investigators that as he passed by his mother’s bedroom earlier that night, she called him inside and began verbally scoIding him for his Iife choices and for “not amounting to anything,” which he said she often said to him. He said he became tired of hearing it, climbed on top of her, and used a piIIow to smother her to death, according to a police press release.

After the woman died, police said he took money and jewelry from her home and fled in her vehicle. He also told detectives he drove to the area, stopped at a store to use the phone to call his father, and then rented a room. While there, he reportedly used the money he stole from his mother at a local casino before his arrest.

The County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled the victim’s death to be a homicide by stranguIation and suffocation, confirming that she did not die of natural causes. Police officials said the bruising on her neck and signs of a struggle were consistent with the manner of death.

Michigan authorities also learned from family members that the woman had been afraid of her famiIy member and had slept with her bedroom door locked at night. Her brother reported that her lack of response to phone calls was unusual, which led him to check on her and discover her body. Investigators pieced together the timeline of events from the scene, the missing vehicle, witness statements, and Hall’s admissions to law enforcement.