Obit bandit arrested after multi-department investigation

GROSSE POINTES — A suspect who has reportedly confessed to 12 home invasions throughout metro Detroit in recent weeks — including several in the Grosse Pointes — has been arrested.

Jerry Ashley, 44, was apprehended at his Detroit home Feb. 27 by the Eastern Wayne County Special Response Team, or SRT, which is similar to a SWAT team and consists of officers from the five Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods. Police said Ashley was finding homes to break into by reading death notices.

“It looks like he was targeting obituaries and estate sales,” Grosse Pointe City Public Safety Director John Alcorn said.

Ashley was arraigned on three counts of breaking and entering into a building March 1 in Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Court, where he was given a cash or surety bond of $700,000. He was slated, at press time, to be arraigned on additional charges March 7 in Grosse Pointe City Municipal Court, and he is expected to face charges in other cities as well, including Grosse Pointe Farms. Ashley remained in custody at press time at the Andrew C. Baird Detention Facility in Detroit.

“So far, we have connected him to incidents in Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe City, Grosse Pointe Woods, Novi, Farmington Hills, Ann Arbor, Shelby Township and possibly Canton,” Alcorn said. “The investigation is ongoing.”

Ashley’s defense attorney, Mark Magidson, had only been appointed to the case about an hour before he was reached for comment the afternoon of March 4. Magidson was unable to offer any remarks on the case because he hadn’t yet seen any of the police reports or met with Ashley.

“He’s presumed not guilty until proven guilty without a reasonable doubt,” Magidson said.

The case aroused suspicion immediately in the City when the home of retired Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court Judge James Callahan was struck just before his funeral in mid-January.

“(In) Grosse Pointe City, if we have a B&E, it’s unusual,” Alcorn said. “That drew attention right away — and the fact that it was right after Judge Callahan died.”

Also unusual was the fact that Grosse Pointe Woods had three breaking and entering cases in a two-week span in February, Woods Public Safety Director John Kosanke said. Alcorn and Kosanke began comparing notes and recognized there were striking similarities between their cases.

The primary investigators on the case were Grosse Pointe City’s Detective Michael Narduzzi and Detective Sgt. Joseph Adams, and Grosse Pointe Woods’ Detectives Miles Adams and Keith Waszak. But, Alcorn said, they soon realized they needed additional manpower and contacted the public safety departments in Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores, both of which lent personnel to the case.

“I feel really fortunate about working in the Grosse Pointes,” Alcorn said. “It was truly a team effort. Initially, it was just the City and the Woods, but when we needed more help, they jumped in right away.”

Kosanke agreed, saying the public safety departments “did an excellent job in the capture of this individual. There was a lot of teamwork.”

For six days, Alcorn said, multiple officers and detectives were investigating these crimes 24 hours a day.

“Stuff like this really bothers me because you have families dealing with a tragedy, and then a lowlife takes advantage of the situation,” Alcorn said. “We were all very motivated to put him in jail.”

Alcorn said it’s possible there could be additional victims who don’t realize it yet.

“If you’re not intimately familiar with what’s in a home, it could be months down the line (before you discover) something’s missing,” Alcorn said.

Jewelry, silverware and other valuables were reportedly stolen from homes allegedly by Ashley. Kosanke said at press time that investigators haven’t been able to determine — or even estimate — the total value of the items allegedly taken by Ashley because police were still trying to collect what they could from pawn shops around the area.

Alcorn said people who have a loved one who has died can contact their public safety or police department to let them know, so that officers can try to keep a closer eye on that address. In addition, he recommended that people use as many security measures as they can, including deadbolt locks, motion-detection lights and cameras.

“The bad guys are looking to get quick, easy entry, so anything that slows them down helps,” Alcorn said.

While not typical, Alcorn said other suspects have used death notices before to find potential homes to target.

Ashley, said Alcorn, is “not the original mastermind behind this.”