Indiana Man Charged In 1977 Michigan Cold Case To Face Trial

CASSOPOLIS, Mich. (AP) - An Indiana man charged with murder in a 1977 southwestern Michigan killing that police initially classified as a suicide has been ordered to stand trial.

Police in May arrested 57-year-old Raymond Robert Richmond in South Bend, Indiana.

A judge on Wednesday in Michigan ordered him to stand trial in the death of 25-year-old Robert Stasiak. Richmond, who was 18 at the time of Stasiak's death, could face life in prison if convicted. Court hearings will be scheduled in Cass County Circuit Court.

The defense says Richmond is innocent.

Authorities believe Richmond fatally shot Stasiak, his cousin, in Edwardsburg, Michigan, in November 1977 after Stasiak flushed his cousin's marijuana down the toilet. In 2015, the investigation was reopened by police and Stasiak's body was exhumed so an autopsy could be performed.