Man convicted of killing neighbour while she cleared snow

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – A western Michigan man accused of killing his neighbour while she cleared snow has been found guilty of first-degree murder.

Wendell Popejoy is set to be sentenced on Nov. 5. Popejoy faces a mandatory life prison term without the possibility of parole for the December 2017 killing of Sheila Bonge (BON’-gee).

The jury in Ottawa County Circuit Court deliberated nearly three hours Monday before reaching its verdict.

Police say Bonge was shot while clearing snow from an easement that she and neighbours used to get to their driveways in Crockery Township.

Members of her family found her body under snowfall down a hill behind Popejoy’s house. He shot her in the back of the head then pushed her body down the hill on a sled.

After his arrest, Popejoy told police that Bonge was a “nuisance to the neighbourhood” and the killing was a “snap decision.”