FeedsSuspect charged in fatal beating
Police apprehended a 33-year-old Dearborn Heights man they say was responsible for fatally beating and stabbing an Inkster woman last October.
Joseph Perron, a former Northwest Airlines worker who was picked up at a Muskegon drug treatment facility by Inkster homicide detectives Thursday morning, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and an additional count of felony murder March 20 for the fatal attack on 29-year-old Keshia Penny at her rented home on 3500 block of Harriet Street.
During the arraignment at the 22nd District Court in Inkster, Perron was visibly upset, but indicated he understood the charges pending against him by saying “Yes, ma’am,” when Judge Sylvia A. James asked him if he had any questions.
Perron pleaded not guilty to both charges, and said he had retained counsel.
Also in the courtroom were relatives and friends of Keshia Penny, each of whom struggled to hold back tears as Homicide Det. Tony Delgreco described the situation that led to the discovery of Penny’s body in the later afternoon hours of Oct. 22.
During the arraignment, Det. Tony Delgreco laid out the series of events that led to Perron’s arrest.
Inkster patrol officers were dispatched to the home on Harriet Street after Penny’s boyfriend, who lived at the home, called police at about 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 22.
Inside, they found Penny severely beaten and stabbed, with blood in virtually every corner of the home.
Homicide detectives were immediately called, along with crime scene investigators from the Michigan State Police. During the next 17 hours, the detectives interviewed neighbors and other witnesses, collected evidence, and re-created what they believe happened in the house.
Inside the home, an wall-mounted air conditioner was found on the floor, along with a claw hammer and a knife that apparently were used in the attack on Penny. Blood evidence was obtained from two vehicles parked outside the home.
Witnesses told police they saw a white male matching Perron’s description at the home on the day of the fatal attack.
At some point, Perron volunteered to provide a DNA sample to investigators, and the sample was matched to several items found at the home.
Investigators believe that Perron may have been at the home looking for drugs, police said.
Police also believe Penny’s 15-month-old child was in the home during the attack.
Penny – who was described as a hard-working single mother with a regular job and plans to go back to school – had only lived in Inkster for about six months before she was killed, relatives said after the arraignment. She graduated from Ypsilanti High School, and spent most of her life in that city, the relatives said.
They hugged investigators and thanked them for their determination in bringing the case to trial after the court proceeding.
Inkster Police Chief Gregory Gaskin said the case was difficult to crack.
“I’m really proud of the work (the investigators) did on this one,” he said.
Michigan does not provide for bond in first-degree murder cases. If convicted of that charge, Perron would automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
If convicted only of the felony murder charge, Perron would face at least 25 years up to life in prison.
Perron was remanded to the Wayne County Jail, and will return to court at 9 a.m. for a pre-trial examination April 6.
