Colby Martin (left in mugshot) murdered Melody Rohrer (right, both images courtesy of Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office)
Judge Kathleen Brickley minced no words when sentencing Colby Delea Martin, 31, to life in prison for running over a 64-year-old grandmother Melody Rohrer with his truck and hiding her body.
“In your premeditation and in your deliberation, you imagined this and you made it happen,” she said on Monday, according to WWMT. “The threat that you pose to society is serious and it is unmatched in anything I have seen in 11 years on the bench.”
Prosecutors also said Martin sexually abused the remains, but they could not charge him for that because Michigan has no relevant law.
The defendant reportedly denied engaging in sexual activity with the body, though he did lead investigators to the body.
Prosecutors said that his and Rohrer’s DNA were on a condom in his truck, however.
Dan Frattura, a former detective with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, testified at trial that a search of “necro” appeared on Martin’s phone at least 22 times on Aug. 24, 2021 — almost a month before the Sept. 20, 2021, murder. Investigators said this was about necrophilia.
Authorities have said that Martin downloaded pornographic videos featuring “dead” and “unconscious” women after Rohrer’s disappearance.
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Melody Rohrer’s husband, Rick Rohrer, reported her missing. Investigators said that though Martin dumped the remains in another county, he did not get rid of Melody Rohrer’s phone. They arrested him the day after the missing person’s report.
Jurors convicted Martin on June 14 for a count each of open murder, failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault and resulting in death, and concealing the death of an individual.
“I watched for almost two years an individual who showed no emotion, compassion or remorse to taking someone’s life,” her eldest daughter, Brooke, said, according to WWMT.
“Some losses they don’t hurt for a little, they hurt for a lifetime and this is our reality now,” another daughter, Jill, said.
“The murder of my wife Melody has and will continue to have a profound effect on me and my family for the rest of our time on earth,” Rick Rohrer said.
His love remained.
“She is my forever best friend, my forever soulmate, a love that cannot be replaced,” he said.
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