John Joseph Calgaro, who's trial for Open Murder was to begin today (Mon), pled no contest to Second Degree Murder in Barry County Circuit Court on Friday, March 9th in connection with the death of Matthew Morin of South Haven. Morin went missing in early July 2016. His body was discovered by Michigan State Police in a remote area of Pine Lake Road in Barry County.
Calgaro later admitted to running over Morin twice with his vehicle on July 5, 2016, claiming it was an accident. However, the investigation revealed that Calgaro returned to the scene to bury Morin’s body and stole Morin’s identity, leading to the charge of Open Murder.
Second Degree Murder carries a maximum of life in prison or any term of years. In exchange for Calgaro’s plea to Second Degree murder, the Prosecution will dismiss the less serious charges of Unlawfully Driving Away of a Motor Vehicle, Identity Theft and Possession of a Financial Transaction Device, as well as the Habitual Offender notice.
Calgaro will be sentenced Friday March 16, 2018 at 1:30pm in Barry County Circuit Court.
