Ex-Convict Charged With 3 Murders In Michigan Pleads No Contest In One

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — An ex-convict charged with three murders in two Michigan counties has pleaded no contest in one of the cases.

Isaiah "Zeke" Gardenhire was accused of assaulting a girlfriend near Mount Pleasant in June and fatally stabbing her 13-year-old daughter, Adrie Dembowske, among other crimes.

Gardenhire, 41, pleaded no contest Monday to second-degree murder and other crimes, the Morning Sun reported.

On June 7, after a series of weekend crimes in Isabella County, Gardenhire drove to Flint in a stolen car and surrendered to police outside a liquor store.

Separately, Gardenhire is charged in Ingham County with killing Harley Owens, 39, and his girlfriend Kelsey Coon-Lennon, 29, in April.

At the time of his arrest, Gardenhire was free on bond in an assault case in Mason County. The case was subsequently dropped.

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