CENTREVILLE, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – After numerous delays and legal wrangling, a St. Joseph County Circuit Court case involving the October 2021 death of a Colon woman will not go to trial after a plea agreement was filed on Monday.
On line St. Joseph County Circuit Court records show that 36-year-old Michael Lafler entered no contest pleas to charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault with intent to do great bodily harm in connection with the strangulation death of his 33-year-old girlfriend Chelsea Wallen.
In exchange for his pleas, prosecutors agreed to dismiss an open murder charge.
The June 13 trial has been cancelled and a sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 23.
Colon Police Sgt. Joel Herr, who investigated the death, testified during a preliminary examination there was an argument and a physical altercation between the two in Wallen’s home.
The case has been in the St. Joseph County Circuit Court system since December of 2021. The trial date was changed three times after the case was bound over from District Court.
At one point, Judge Paul Stutesman agreed with a defense motion that a previous attorney did not properly represent Lafler which led to the defendant waiving a district court preliminary examination.
Wallen attended Colon High School and resided in Colon her entire life. She worked as a manager at Countryside Quality Meats in Union City.
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