Witnesses testify during preliminary exam for Chase Run shooting
Lake resident Mary Bigford listens to testimony on Sept. 28 at the Isabella County Courthouse.
A grandmother accused of shooting the father of her grandchildren to death appeared in court today on charges of open murder, first degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Mary Bigford, 52, is accused of shooting and killing Fenton resident Lawrence Howard in April at Chase Run Apartments. At today's preliminary examination, Isabella County Prosecutor Risa Hunt-Scully called witnesses who will testify against the Lake resident during trial on Nov. 16.
Chase Run resident Jessica Perry told the court she heard loud bangs while she was inside her apartment, which prompted her to go outside.
"I saw (Bigford) shoot (Howard) three times, into the passenger side (of the car), into the right side of his head," she said.
After Bigford got into her green Aztec to drive away, Perry said she went to check the pulse of the man in the car.
"As soon as I touched him, his head fell and blood ran out of his eyes and nose."
Retired social worker Cynthia Skorzewski, who has been Bigford's friend for about 15 years, also testified. She said Bigford's granddaughter opened up to her about being sexually abused by Howard, who was the child's father. She said her and Bigford believed Howard was molesting his daughter.
During a custody hearing between Howard and the child's mother, Letitia Bigford, members of the family were upset after Howard was granted visitation with his daughter, because they believed he was sexually abusing her. Skorzewski filed a report with police after Bigford's granddaughter confided in her about the sexual abuse.
"(Mary Bigford) felt like the authorities mishandled the investigation and didn't believe the sexual abuse (allegations)," Skorzewski said.
Before the shooting, Bigford visited Skorzewski at her home. That weekend, Howard was scheduled to have a visit with his daughter. Skorzewski testified that Bigford told her, "She's not going to see (Howard) again."
Looking back, Skorzewski said, it seemed like Bigford was saying goodbye to her. Speaking through her tears, Skorzewski said she was shocked when she found out Bigford was a suspect in the shooting.
"If I would have known, I would have stopped her," she said.
Chase Run resident Holly Thrush did try to stop Bigford. After returning home from the grocery store on the day of the shooting, Thrush was greeted by Perry, who told her to chase after a person in a green Aztec who had just shot someone. Thrush said she chased after the person, who she later identified as Bigford.
"She was driving like she was trying to get away," Thrush said.
Thrush wasn't able to catch up with Bigford, who was weaving in and out of traffic. When police questioned her, she told officers a "white female" was driving the car and that she saw the woman's face in the mirror when driving behind her.
On the day of the shooting, Letitia and her daughter were at the home of Alfred Frizzell, Bigford's uncle, in Nashville, MI. During their visit, Bigford stopped by that afternoon unexpectedly and "seemed weird," Frizzell said. When she came in the house, Bigford said "I did it."
Frizzell said he gave Bigford money to go home because he knew she shouldn't be in his house. He asked Bigford what she did with the gun, and Bigford said she threw it in a ditch while on her way over. Frizzell testified to giving Bigford the gun to shoot raccoons and opossum in her yard months before the shooting. The gun was unregistered, said Frizzell, and he doesn't remember where he got it.
During cross examination, defense attorney Sara Spencer-Noggle asked Frizzell if he had ever been intoxicated during his interviews with police. Frizzell said if the interview took place at his home, he was "probably intoxicated." When asked what he had said during questioning minutes before, Frizzell couldn't remember.
Police testimony
Mount Pleasant Police Detective Dave Sabuda arrested Bigford at her residence on the day of the shooting. He testified that the car in the driveway was a green Aztec registered to Bigford.
The car was taken to MPPD, where it was searched by evidence technicians.
David Van Dyke, one of these technicians, said when he got to Chase Run, he found bullet entry wounds on Howard, including two in his right shoulder, one behind his ear and one in his head. When he searched Bigford's car for the second time, he recovered a .22-caliber cartridge in the compartment in her driver-side door. This wasn't found during the initial search of the car.
Hunt-Scully requested to adjourn the preliminary exam, moving the continuation of it to 1 p.m. on Oct. 1.
