Arrest Made in Madison Heights Murder and Arson Case
(C. Proxmire, Nov. 25, 2015)
Madison Heights Police released the following statement on Wednesday, Nov. 25 in regard to the November 1, 2015 murder and arson in the 3000 block of Groveland that left Fernando Gonzales dead:
“On November 24, 2015, the Madison Heights Police Department executed a search warrant on Belmont Street in the City of Detroit at the residence of a suspect in the Fernando Gonzales homicide case.
“The Madison Heights Police Department arrested Christopher Charles-Ruben King, a 19-year old African American male for the homicide of Fernando Gonzales.
“The case was presented to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office on today’s date and a 3-count felony warrant was authorized. Mr. King was arraigned in front of Magistrate Kimberly Wilson of the 43rd District Court-Madison Heights on charges of: 1st Degree Murder, 2nd Degree Arson, and Unlawfully Driving Away of an Automobile.
“Mr. King will be transferred to the Oakland County Jail where he will be held without bond until his pre-exam conference which is scheduled for December 9, 2015 at 8am at the 43rd District Court-Madison Heights.”
The victim, Ferndando Gonzales, was found inside the burning home. An autopsy revealed he was murdered by strangulation. Gonzales lived alone, but had many visitors due to his hair-cutting business.
“I’m dumbfounded right now,” said brother-in-law Van Welch the morning after Gonzales’ death. “This was so hard to wake up to. He was the nicest person, no enemies that I know of. He’d give you the shirt off his back.”
Welch said Gonzales was a licensed barber with lots of clients. “People would come all the way from Chicago to have my brother-in-law cut their hair,” he said. “I wish you could meet him. No one would ever want to hurt him.”
Neighbors said Gonzales was friendly to everyone, and often had neighbors over to visit. “He’s been my neighbor 15 years,” said a woman who lived next door. “Every year he would do something new to his house, a project.”
No further details were included in the statement, but the oc115 will continue to update this story as more information is available.
NOTE: Police Reports come directly from the Police Department or agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
Previous stories:
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/11/01/madison-heights-man-found-dead-in-suspicious-fire/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/11/19/madison-heights-police-searching-for-person-spotted-at-murder-scene/
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