MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – Future court dates have been set for the ex-boyfriend of Ashley Elkins, the Macomb County mother who went missing in January.
Deandre Howard Booker, 32, of Roseville, has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder, tampering with evidence, disinterment or mutilation of a dead body and concealing the death of an individual in connection with the murder of Elkins.
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The case has faced some delays due to the amount of discovery involved, but on Thursday, June 26, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office announced that dates have been selected for Booker’s preliminary examination.
His preliminary examination is scheduled to be held before 39th District Court Judge Joseph F. Boedeker at the following times:
- 8 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1
- 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6
- 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8
“The charges in this case are as serious as they come. We believe the evidence clearly supports the allegation that she was murdered and discarded without dignity,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. “We are committed to seeking justice for her and her loved ones. The preliminary examination will be an important step in that process,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
Related: Full timeline on the disappearance of Macomb County woman Ashley Elkins
Disappearance of Ashley Elkins -- What happened
Elkins was last seen leaving her home in Warren on Jan. 2, 2025. Cellphone data also placed her at Booker’s apartment in Roseville.
Police said they found clues in a dumpster at Booker’s apartment that indicated that she had been killed. That led authorities to the Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township.
They looked through the landfill from Jan. 13 through Jan. 19, before the search was called off. Authorities found “lookalike items” that could belong to the mother of two, but said further lab testing was necessary.
This was the same landfill where Detroit police spent weeks searching for the body of Zion Foster in 2022. Her body was never found, but her cousin was convicted in her death.
Booker was taken into custody in Flint and was initially charged with lying to police.
Officials said while Booker was in Flint, he looked up information online about the fastest routes from Flint to Ohio, what to do on the run, if blood is traceable, how to beat a polygraph and how to delete Google search history.