The four-week investigation of a Wright Township quadruple homicide involving an MSU student has turned a corner, but is far from being finished, Ottawa County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Bennett said.
Troy Brake, a 31-year-old Grant man, was officially named a suspect Friday in the murder of Katherine A. Brown, 18, an agribusiness sophomore, and three others.
Brake is the primary suspect in the quadruple homicide, but police have not stopped investigating other tips, Bennett said.
“I don’t want to close up any other leads,” he said.
“We would open it up to other (suspects) given further information.”
Brown, her 20-year-old boyfriend Jeremy Zimmer; his mother Sharmaine Zimmer, 53; and brother Tyler Zimmer, 17; were found dead in the Zimmers’ home Sept. 29.
A neighbor reported the Zimmers’ house was on fire at about 12:45 a.m., but autopsies later showed the four victims were dead before the blaze was set.
Brown died of blunt force trauma, and the Zimmers were shot, police said.
Brake was arrested Oct. 16 for two unrelated incidents in Grand Rapids.
He was charged Oct. 17 with assault with intent to murder and first degree criminal sexual conduct. Brake also was charged with assault with intent to murder and felony firearm for a Sept. 1 incident, Grand Rapids police Sgt. Chris Postma said.
Brake had no criminal record before the Sept. 1 incident, Postma said.
But his connection to the Zimmer family remains unclear.
The Grand Rapids Press reported that Brake once lived next door to the Zimmers’ Eighth Avenue home, but police would not confirm that information.
Matt Schwartz, who was a friend of Jeremy Zimmer, had never heard Brake’s name before police announced his possible connection to the homicide.
“I was kind of surprised,” he said.
“What was his reason for doing this? What was his motive?”
Ottawa County sheriff’s detectives sent sensitive information about the Wright Township homicide case to other area police agencies before Brake’s arrest, Bennett said. He could not specify the type of information sent in the bulletin.
Grand Rapids police later contacted the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office to look into a possible connection between Brake and the Sept. 29 murders.
“It was certainly a nice effort made by neighboring law enforcement agencies,” Bennett said.
Brake is being held in the Kent County Jail on a $2 million bond.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office at (616) 738-4687, or Silent Observer at (800) 825-0221.
