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M Live
May 21, 2014
Within the last 12 hours or so, Michelle Berk says, “the weight of the world” lifted off her shoulders.
That relief came when Michigan State Police Detective Hilary House told her a man would be charged in connection with the 2010 homicide of Berk’s daughter, Jessica Callan.
That man is Birl L. Hill, and after a judge on the afternoon of Monday, May 19, arraigned the 37-year-old on 12 felonies including murder, Berk spoke to The Saginaw News.
“It’s an emotional time for us,” the 46-year-old Berk said. “We’re very thankful for everybody’s support and happy to be moving on to this next phase.”
Hill is scheduled to appear before Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank on May 30 for a preliminary hearing, intended for the judge to determine whether probable cause exists for trial.
Berk, who lives with her husband in Ogemaw County’s Lupton, said she and other family members “won’t miss it.”
“It won’t bring Jessie back, but at least someone will be held accountable,” Berk said.
Hill is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, and 10 other felonies in the shooting death of Callan, whose body police found July 11, 2010, at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 3440 S. Washington in Spaulding Township. Hill’s arrest warrant alleges he committed the offenses on July 10 and July 11 in “various locations” in Saginaw and Midland counties. Saginaw County Prosecutor John McColgan Jr. said only that the homicide was drug-related.
Prior to his arraignment, Hill already was jailed on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. He pleaded no contest in 1996 to second-degree criminal sexual conduct and served prison time for the offense.
House, the detective, secured the warrant charging Hill on Monday morning, and Saginaw County District Judge M.T. Thompson signed the warrant about 10:30 a.m. Thompson arraigned Hill on Monday afternoon, and Hill appeared surprised as Thompson informed him of the charges he now faces.
Berk, along with her family and friends, have organized vigils in Callan’s honor in the cemetery on the anniversary of her death and created a website and Facebook page seeking justice for her. She said she has not discussed whether they organize a vigil this year.
“We did it in hopes that someone would come forward (with information),” she said. “It sounds like that work is done now. We really appreciate all the positives to this negative situation.”
Berk said Callan is survived by her 7-year-old children, Aleigha Cooper and Hayden Cooper, who live in Las Vegas with their father but are moving back to Michigan in June. She said their father sat them down and told them police were arresting someone in connection with their mother’s death.
“The kids just started jumping up and down and clapping and saying ‘Thank you’ to the police,” Berk said.
Prosecutors also have charged Jerry W. Simms, 32, with lying to a peace officer. His arrest warrant alleges he lied to state police Detective Sgts. Gary Thomas and Dennis Proulx on July 26, 2012, by telling them he was not in a vehicle with Hill and another male “when Jessica Callan was brought to Saginaw where she was murdered” and that he did not know Callan and had never seen her.
Police arrested Simms early Monday afternoon, and his arraignment was pending.
The felony murder charge that Hill faces means someone was killed during the commission of a specified felony. Hill’s warrant lists that felony as extortion.
In arraigning Hill on the new charges, Thompson entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and ordered him held without bond.
The judge said he denied bond based on the penalties involved with the two murder charges, the facts and circumstances of the case, and Hill’s criminal history.
