A 25-year-old male is accused of shooting to death his mother, father, brother, and his brother’s girlfriend last week in Michigan.
Gage Pierce appeared before a Livonia judge Friday for the first time since he was charged in connection with the quadruple homicide, WXYZ-TV reported. Livonia is just over 20 minutes west of Detroit.
‘My heart goes out to them. It really does. The community is hurting over this.’
Pierce faces four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of felony firearm, WXYZ reported, adding that Pierce’s bond was denied.
Pierce tried to speak on his own behalf during the arraignment, but the station said his attorney quickly shut down the attempt.
More from WXYZ:
Prosecutors say Pierce used a semiautomatic rifle to shoot and kill his mother, Holly Kimball; his father, Sterling Pierce; his brother, Tanner Pierce; and Tanner’s girlfriend, Nevaeh Finch, at the family home Tuesday.
The home has since become a memorial. Family members gathered there Friday to observe what would have been Tanner’s 23rd birthday.
Tanner’s uncle made sure to wish his beloved nephew a happy birthday Friday at the family home.
“You’ll never be forgotten. You achieved so much at such a young age … you were perfect. Love you, man. Happy birthday,” the victim’s uncle said through tears, according to the station.
Nevaeh Finch’s heartbroken mother, Shelly, told WXYZ over the phone that she watched the arraignment while making funeral arrangements for her daughter, whose birthday is July 9.
“She’s just a — she’s a good kid,” her mother told the station. “Right now I have to try to, you know, pick her last outfit she’s ever going to wear.”
Prior to a planned Saturday fundraiser at Mulligan’s Pub & Grub in Farmington Hills, owner Robert Mckiddie told WXYZ he was a friend of the suspect’s father for nearly two decades, and that Sterling Pierce also was a regular at the pub.
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“He’s always called me his brother every time we parted ways … and I loved him like a brother,” Mckiddie added to the station.
WXYZ said a $20 donation at the door of the pub would go directly toward funeral costs for the suspect’s mother, father, and brother — and that the fundraising event also will serve as a place for the community to gather, grieve, and share stories.
Mckiddie added to WXYZ that “my heart goes out to them. It really does. The community is hurting over this. All the money in the world will not make a difference to anybody. But it might help them get through what they have to get through. That’s a lot they have to deal with.”
The following video shows images inside and outside the pub during the fundraiser.
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Pierce is expected back in court June 25, the station said.
Officials said police around 5:30 p.m. June 9 found the bodies of Holly Kimball, 53, and Sterling Pierce, 58, on the backyard patio of their home in the 19300 block of Rensellor Street, and the bodies of Tanner Pierce, 22, and Nevaeh Finch, 21, in a bedroom of the home. A dog in the home was found with a gunshot wound to the leg, police said, adding that the dog was taken to veterinary emergency services for treatment.
Gage Pierce was taken into custody at the home, police said.
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