GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO-AM) — An Ottawa County man who confessed to beating his mother to death with a frying pan before tossing her body in the Grand River has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.
The sentence comes after the attorney for Michael Roersma cut a deal with prosecutors.
Roersma, who had a long history of drug crimes, risked getting a mandatory life sentence if he faced a jury.
He was charged with the first-degree murder of 72-year-old Sharon Roersma. Her body was found by fisherman last September.
Roersma’s sister testified during her victim impact statement that he deserved more jail time, saying he disposed of his mother like she was trash.
– John McNeill
