^m ^m ^ppp«ppp"f p«p 1^ mmmm* :':^<g >tf**^ -j****© :>fW:?;** ^¾¾¾ BH^KJLL-i^A—J i .•Jv^U'-t ••: aa^^-i^^rr-i^'.W^.n^tf-:-'^ 1 , Volume24 NumDer 73 Monday, February 27,1989 - Westland, (yllfchlgan 46 Pages Twenty-five cents .019S9 Siby **n CoovhunJaUon* CcrporHka. AU W4IU Kauvvt. • i e Hi W.(*S ;-:,:5'i &J*M- -:\ Man, 19, gets life in girl's death By Tedd 8chnelder said."And years down the road her status la's death and whether he sexually assaulted Some7 of the victim's clothes were found In staff writer won't be changing either." her while she was stiil alive '. nearby bushes, and her purse was found hldden- Defense attorney Charles Campbell did not In an earlier statement, signed by the de­ in brush about 116 yards from the body, court 4! '*•*';£r&f 'J,- A Westland man was sentenced to life in return phone calls to discuss the sentence. fendant and admitted as evidence in the trial, testimony revealed. i prison with no parole Thursday for the August ZIMMERLA, WHO died from a skull frac­ Emerson said he hit Zimmerla In the back of placM beating death of a John Glenn High School girl. ture according to the Wayne County medical the head several times with a large rock while EMERSON HAD known Zimmerla for about Ronald O'Neal Emerson, 19, was found examiner, would have been a junior at John the two were arguing along the banks of the six weeks at the time of the murder, according and face* guilty by a Wayne County Circuit Court jury Glenn last fall. river. to court records. The two were friendly but MiMMMHii Feb. 1 in the first-degree murder of Michelle Emerson was arrested Aug. 25, the day after Emerson said Zimmerla was semiconscious apparently not Involved In 'a romantic rela­ .¾. Lynn Zimraerla, then 16. Zlmmerla's partially decomposed, partially after he hit her and that he bad sexual Inter­ tionship, testimony revealed. Circuit Judge Charles Farmer handed down clothed body was found by police near the course with her after the first set of blows, Emerson, who had returned to Michigan in the life sentence. Emerson had no previous Rouge River In Wayne. according to the statement. January 1988 after living In the Tennessee for criminal record. Emerson admitted killing Zlmmerla during When she threatened to tell police about the about a year, met Zimmerla through another "I think he got what he deserved," said pro­ testimony at his trial. But he said he had been sexual assault he hit her again, apparently kill­ acquaintance. secuting attorney Kenneth Simon. under the influence of alcohol and mescaline, a ing her, Emerson told police. He and Zimmerla spent the night of the "I realize having no chance of parole years hallucinogenic drug, and wasn't aware of his In the statement, Emerson told police he murder visiting friends at several locations. down the road seems tough, but then some­ actions. threw the rock into the river and covered up Emerson testified that the couple had spent j t body, a relative or friend, is always going to be Emerson's testimony contradicted previous Zlmmerla's body with bushes, branches and a part of the time drinking whiskey and using i \ thinking about Michelle Zimraerla," Simon statements given to police regarding Zlmmer­ heavy ironbeam.— •-- illegaldrugs. — |££HM»pt3M&r tfc* . - • ' v*. : . '• TH£$T&fC£B5 hockey Wider- given incase By Leonard Pogtr Otttkma? editor Attorneys representing three Wayne-Westland school employees charged with falsifying adult educa-r tion enrollments won their fight Fri­ day to get more specific Information m from the Wayne County, prosecutor's : ' • ••US?'*** office. ;•'•::••; vvX-' '-' Gall McKnlght, 18th District Court judge, ordered assistant prosecuting^ <**•* attorney Robert Sbelko to provide" more detailed information for the attorneys and the defendants so that they better prepare their defenses. But McKnlght, ruling on a series of preliminary motions from the bench Friday morning, rejected a motion by the defense attorneys that the charges be dropped. ' A four-day preliminary exam is scheduled to begin Thursday, March In pressing for more specific in- foenatloo-be-given -the-defendants,- ARTEMANUELE/«1«ffPhot09f*pt»f the judge said: * "The key questions in the case are Winner — again 'when was the agreement (to con­ spire) made and by whom and what Jon Okopski (kneeling), his father, LaVerne (right), both of wood was sponsor of the car, built by Jon and raced by La- documents were falsified and by Garden City, and Westland Auto-One owner Jim Ward show Verne. The Okopskis also won an Autorama first place trophy whom.?"' off the 1989 IROC-Z car with which the Okopskis won first several years ago with their 1985 thunderblrd. The IROC-Z, a She and several defense attorneys place honors in the recent Autorama exhibition in Detroit's race version of the Chevrolet Camaro, will be on display at the cited the volume of information re­ Cobo Hall. Ward's auto accessory business on Ford near Wild- Auto-One showroom through Thursday, '*• lating to the case — including 12 boxes of records, more than 1,000 pages of testimony given\ Jo the Wayne, County citizens' grand jury ' A " ^1 .*jii(-v-*' last year more than 200 pages of notes of the state police during the Retail/off ice plan marks what's ir investigation. THE THREE charged In Novem­ Calendar. ... .4A ber oo two counts of conspiring to . C.E.F falsify records and then falsifying Classifieds. the records are Kathleen Lyons, di­ return of 2-story projects Auto .... C rector of special projects and Tink- Index .... 1F bam Center's executive director, Real estate . .'.-E •i******!*: By Tedd Schneider Employment. • • « * »1 Holbert (Rick) Hamrick, assistant staff writer principal at the Ford vocational- • t * • 1C :• -r>\ .^¾..¾¾¾. '. This is the first building of this Creative living . technical training center, and Barba­ A two-story retail/of f ice complex, Crossword. -; , . .2E ra Blanton, a part-time adult and the first development of its kind in type for Westland in some time.' Entertainment. ,5D community education teacher.' Westland in this decade, will be built Sports. i . \ . ••'.'-. 1C • .A fourth person, who was an adult — George WUhelmi on the southwest corner of Yale and Street scene. •.•>. .ID education department employee at Hunter. city planning director the time of the enrollment dispute, is Taste . .'•.-.. .... • 1B . being referred to In court documents The site plan for the 40,000- and proceedings as "Jane Doe" be­ square-foot building was approved Newsline . .691-2300 by the Westland City Council last Wllhelmi said the building will fit the north and a subdivision Is across, . Sportsline. .691-2312 cause she hasn't been formally week. in well in its neighborhood, which Yale, east of the planned building. charged or arraigned. That Is ex­ ; feature new residential develop­ Circulation .591-0500 pected to be done when the prelimi­ "I don't know if combined com­ Classified . .591-0900 •v ^:)rg# mercial-office developments are re­ ments as well as established slngle- WftHELMI SAID the developer la nary exam starts March 9. famllyhomes. Representing Hamrick and Blan­ turning as a trend, but this Is the hoping to. attract service-oriented ton is attorney Richard Clark while first building of this type for West- Directly adjacent to the office/re­ tenants for both floors of the build-. Nell Fink represents Lyons and Mar­ land In some time," said George Wil- tail complexwiU be the Castle Woods Ing. U.. vin Blake is defending "Jane Doe." helml, city planning director. Condominiums, now under construc­ "tt should attract the kind of com- The project developer is Yalo In­ tion. The Westland Towers apart­ Kimberly Stout, representing ment complex is across.Hunter to Please turn to Page 2 Lyons at Friday's proceeding, want­ vestments of Farmlngton Hills. ed the case for her client adjourned am) technically separated from the *' '. other defendants because of her Cli­ ent's poor health. Bat McNIght de­ layed her decision oa the request un­ 2 studied in arson probe j til at least the March » exam. Lyons was found to have bone can­ •y 0. L Rugenetefn lice said they plan to get warrants nal target, Reddy said. SPRING FASHION 4, cer last fall and Is now undergoing staff writer and formally charge them early next Police said it is likely that a pilot and chemotherapy. week, according to Reddy. light on the shop's hot water heater BUILDER'S SHOW Blake suggested to the judge that Two men were questioned and re­ The lieutenant said the warrants Ignited fumes from gasoline report­ March 16,1989 he may ask the charges against his leased as part of an arson Investiga­ are based on an investigation con­ edly used to start the fire. It led to client ta reduced or amended be­ tion into the fire that destroyed five ducted by Fire Marshal Robert Per­ an explosion that destroyed three it cause of« statue of limitations que* businesses on Warren Road east of ry. Perry Is conducting the Investi­ other businesses and a fourth, which HEALTH & FITNESS , Uoo.' :,-• MJddlebelt Feb. 10, said Westland gation of what police believe may was scheduled to open last week. March 27,1989 According to court documents and police Lt, John Reddy. - have been art arson-for-lnsurance In­ A man Injured In the blast is being The men, aged 17 and 21, are resi­ cident treated for burns at Henry Ford Hos­ Ptesesturntopsgs2 dents of Dearborn, Reddy said. Po­ Dominic's Pixteria was the origi­ pital, Detroit. i \lv4i r^^iA&n OdbE Monday.