KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — Kalamazoo Public Safety Detectives have formally charged 25-year-old Joseph Christopher Janssen with the killing of 62-year-old Debra Susan Jean of Kalamazoo.
Her body was found in her home on Edgemoor Avenue on Sunday after a relative became concerned that no one had heard from her, and saw her body through a window and called police.
They believe she may have been dead nearly a week before her body was discovered.
An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was murder.
Janssen has a history of violent crimes dating back over a decade. The home had been trashed. No information has been released on how she was killed or any motive for the homicide.
Neighbors say they had seen Janssen staying at Jean’s home doing yardwork.
Detectives say he confessed to getting into a fight with the woman and striking her.
Janssen has been formally charged with open murder and was ordered held without bond.
