in beating death By Brian C. Louwers WARREN — A murder over a small amount of marijuana prompted the arrest of four teens who now face charges linked to the death of 46-year-old Warren resident Michael Daniel McCarthy, Warren police said on July 27. According to Warren Police Lt. Michael Torey, three of the suspects — 18-year-old Kevin Antone of Warren, 17-year-old Thomas Henry Post of Roseville, and 17-year-old Jacob Steven Androsuk of Warren — were arraigned before Chief Judge John Chmura in the 37th District Court on July 27 on charges of second-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. A fourth suspect, identified by police as 16-year-old Brandon Lee Ebel of Warren, was initially kept in the custody of Macomb County juvenile authorities before he was brought to the 37th District Court and arraigned on the same charges as an adult on July 28. Torey said the allegations against the teens stemmed from an altercation that occurred at approximately 11 p.m. on July 26 in the front yard of a home in the 8600 block of Stephens. “It’s a drug-related incident. The 16-year-old that we locked up, his dad lives at the house where the victim has been flopping,” Torey said. “It was over allegations that the victim took some marijuana that did not belong to him, that belonged to one of the four suspects. They went over to retrieve it. A physical confrontation ensued.” Torey said a basketball-sized piece of concrete and possibly a broken pool stick were used in the assault that left McCarthy bleeding from the head on the lawn of the home. McCarthy was reportedly having trouble breathing when police arrived. He was transported to the hospital, where he later died of his injuries. Warren Police Detective Randy Costanzo said the confrontation erupted over a $5 bag of marijuana. Police said the suspects reportedly took a small amount of marijuana from McCarthy during the alleged assault. “We’ve got a witness that saw the whole thing happen. They identified the four kids,” Torey said. The teens reportedly fled on foot and were taken into custody a short time later near Nine Mile and Van Dyke. Kimberly Consiglio of Warren, mother of the youngest suspect, Brandon Ebel, said her son is a “B student” at Lincoln High School and that he works at a local restaurant. The 11th-grader was supported by about 20 students who showed up for his arraignment on July 28. “He’s a wonderful, caring son. He’s a good student. He has a lot of friends. He’s got a job. He doesn’t deserve this,” Consiglio said. Consiglio said she spoke to her son briefly before his arraignment while he was in custody at the Macomb County Youth Home. She said the teen told her that he had purchased a bag of marijuana for his father. Investigators said Ebel’s father paid for the pot, but that McCarthy took drugs without paying for it, prompting the altercation. Consiglio also said her son told her that McCarthy had threatened him with a gun before the beating. She added that Post was not involved in the beating, something Costanzo, the officer in charge of the case, flatly disputed. The alleged murder would be the fifth in Warren this year. The four previous homicides took place between May 26 and June 14. “The loss of any life is tragic, but more often than not acts of extreme violence are the result of this type of criminal behavior involving drugs,” Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said in a prepared statement. Chmura set bond for all four teens at $1 million. They were next scheduled to appear for a preliminary examination on the charges on Aug. 4. Post, Androsuk and Ebel requested court-appointed legal counsel at their arraignments. Antone indicated that he would hire an attorney to represent him. Second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. You can reach Staff Writer Brian C. Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1089.
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