Body found in barrel prompts murder charge
Scott Wobbe faces Judge Michael Chupa of the 37th District Court at his Oct. 14 arraignment in Warren
Oct. 28, 2014 PLYMOUTH EAGLE.
Plymouth Michigan News
UPDATED
MENTAL EXAM ORDERED
The attorney for the man accused of killing his 22-year-old girl friend, Theresa DeKeyser, whose body was discovered in a 55 gallon drum in Plymouth Township, was granted more time and mental competency testing.
Attorney Raymond Cassar of Farmington Hills representing Scott Wobbe, 37 of Westland requested more time from the court to prepare for his defense and psychological testing for Wobbe at a preliminary court examination Tuesday on the charges of first-degree premeditated murder, kidnapping and disinterment and mutilation of a body.
Theresa DeKeyzer’s family and friends waited patiently for hours for the hearing to start at the 37th District Court in Warren.
DeKeyzer would have turned 23 Tuesday.
No date was set for the next hearing.
Oct. 23, 2014 PLYMOUTH EAGLE.
He faces life in prison if convicted of the charges in DeKeyzer’s death.
A Westland man has been charged with the death of a woman whose body was discovered in a 55-gallon drum bolted to a utility trailer in a Plymouth Township storage facility.
Scott Wobbe, 37, was arraigned last week in Warren District Court charged with murder in the first degree, kidnapping and disinterment of a body in the death of his 22-year-old girlfriend, Theresa DeKeyzer. He remains incarcerated awaiting an Oct. 28 preliminary hearing on the charges following the denial of his request for bail.
DeKeyzer’s body was discovered by police in the plastic drum inside a small, enclosed 8- foot by 6-foot trailer at Travel Trailer Storage on Ann Arbor Road in Plymouth on Sept. 18. She had been reported missing by her family on June 19, just days after she reported a domestic assault to Warren police. She told responding officers that her boyfriend, Wobbe, in a drunken rage, had grabbed her shirt and dragged her out of his car and punched her in the face. Neighbors intervened and called police who spoke to DeKeyzer at the time. Wobbe fled the scene before officers arrived and DeKeyzer told police that she would file an official complaint the next morning, June 16. She did not appear at the police station and her family subsequently reported her missing four days later. Her body was reportedly found in the same clothing she wore when officers interviewed her regarding the assault com- plaint.
Medical examiners at the scene in the Plymouth storage facility spent more than four hours attempting to extricate DeKeyzer’s plastic-wrapped remains from the cement- capped barrel which had been filled with sand and sealed with black tape, according to police reports. Her cause of death was determined by the medical examiner to have been asphyxiation.
Warren officers, assisted by Michigan State Police who pro- vided technical support, went to the Plymouth storage facility after receiving anonymous tips regarding the whereabouts of DeKeyzer’s body. They discovered her remains in the drum which was secured to the inside of the trailer with straps and plastic tie-downs. Much of the material was sent to the Michigan State Crime Laboratory for analysis, police said.
During warrant searches of Wobbe’s Westland home, police indicated that barrels and tape similar to those used in the entombment of DeKeyzer were found. Police also said that barrels similar to the one in which the body was found were used at an auto repair shop in Garden City where Wobbe worked as a mechanic. The trailer, police said, had been parked in the back yard of Wobbe’s Westland home before it was moved to the storage facility. The trailer was material was sent to the Michigan State Crime Laboratory for analysis, police said.
During warrant searches of Wobbe’s Westland home, police indicated that barrels and tape similar to those used in the entombment of DeKeyzer were found. Police also said that barrels similar to the one in which the body was found were used at an auto repair shop in Garden City where Wobbe worked as a mechanic. The trailer, police said, had been parked in the back yard of Wobbe’s Westland home before it was moved to the storage facility. The trailer was not registered to Wobbe with the Secretary of State but rather to a long-time friend of Wobbe who told investigators he had given the trailer to Wobbe some time ago.
The lease on the storage space was not in Wobbe’s name but he was reportedly listed as a secondary contact on the rental agreement.
Wobbe told police that he last saw DeKeyzer at about 6 a.m. June 16.
He was arrested on a probation violation in Midland on July 2 and was released only to be immediately arrested by Warren police and charged with DeKeyzer’s death. Police said Wobbe has an extensive criminal history including assault convictions.
He faces life in prison if convicted of the charges in DeKeyzer’s death.
Plymouth Voice.
