Parole has been granted to Michael Jeffery Johnson, the man convicted of second degree murder in the 1980 death of a Lakeshore High School student.
The Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office tells us the now-60-year-old Johnson pleaded guilty in the case when he was a teen and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He admitted to assaulting classmate Sue Ellen Machemer when she gave him a ride on April 3, 1980.
According to State of Michigan court records, the case involved “a defendant who was sentenced as a juvenile to life with the possibility of parole for murdering his classmate. Defendant was 17 years old at the time of the offense. Defendant was attempting to sexually assault the victim when he panicked, tied her hands behind her back, and pushed her into a steep irrigation ditch. Defendant knew that the victim fell into the water head first, and he waited approximately five minutes, until he no longer heard her splashing, before leaving. He admitted that he intended to kill the victim to keep her from telling the authorities that he had tried to sexually assault her.”
Johnson had appealed his sentence multiple times, arguing the fact he was denied a parole hearing effectively made his sentence life without parole. The prosecutor’s office opposed those appeals, saying the decision should be up to the Michigan Parole Board.
Following a Supreme Court ruling on life sentences for juveniles, Johnson got his hearing and was paroled on May 16, 2023.
The prosecutor’s office says it has no comment on the Parole Board’s decision. Machemer’s family had supported Johnson’s release, saying they forgive him.
