HOWELL, Mich. – A 24-year-old Howell man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home and killing a man inside.
It happened in Howell, near the intersection of West and Railroad streets on Aug. 11, 2023. Livingston County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene, where they found the man’s body.
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He had been shot multiple times.
Howell police identified the victim as 20-year-old Oghenevwede “Wede” Okagbare.
Reese Hammie was charged with open murder and witness intimidation days after the shooting. He was denied bond.
Prosecutors said Hammie went to his ex-girlfriend’s home while she was away, broke in, and shot Okagbare multiple times. Hammie had reportedly broken into the home a week earlier and assaulted his ex in front of her child.
He also had been sending her multiple threatening texts.
“I swear to god, call the cops, [expletive], I promise I’ll get to you first.”
Police stopped Hammie for a traffic violation and found a Glock 9mm extended magazine, zip ties fashioned like handcuffs, a pistol light, a homemade mallet, and duct tape in his car.
The next day, parts of a Glock 45 registered to Hammie were found in the Red Cedar River near where he was staying with his grandmother.
Hammie’s grandmother told police he was not home the night of the shooting. Hammie later called her from jail, reportedly threatening her and demanding she not speak to law enforcement.
In November, Hammie was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree home invasion, domestic violence and obstruction of justice.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Hammie was sentenced to life in prison without parole.