Bernita Cunningham (Courtesy: Ionia Sentinel-Standard)
Justin Stephens
IONIA, Mich. (WZZM) -- A Texas man will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2006 murder of an elderly Hubbardston woman.
Justin Stephens, 21, was sentenced Tuesday for the death of Bernita "Billie" Cunningham. A jury found Stephens guilty of first-degree murder during a trial in May.
Cunningham's body was found in her home on November 30, 2006. Police initially ruled the death as accidental, thinking the 80-year-old woman had fallen from a step-ladder and hit a mirror, causing the puncture wounds that killed her.
But Cunningham's family pressed authorities to reopen the case, saying the accident theory was not possible. They even hired a private investigator to run down leads. Police had her body exhumed and a second autopsy found evidence of murder.
Evidence also led them to Texas, where Justin Stephens had returned after leaving Hubbardston. Last year, Ionia County investigators joined Texas authorities in questioning Stephens, who admitted to breaking into Cunningham's home thinking she was gone. When Cunningham returned and confronted him, he told officers he hit her with an object, then his memory went blank.
Cunningham's family spoke at Tuesday's sentencing, saying they are looking forward to remembering how she lived instead of how she died now that the case is over.
WZZM 13's Sarah Barwacz was in court for the sentencing. She will have more from the family on WZZM 13 News at 11 p.m.
By Matt Campbell