WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Buster Robbins, the man accused in the decades-old rape and killing of Beverly Wivell, was released on bond this week.
The 70-year-old was released on bond on Thursday, July 2. He is scheduled to return to court for a final pre-trial hearing on Sept. 10, 2026.
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Background
Beverly Wivell, 30, was a mother from Canton Township who was killed in September 1989. Police said she dropped her son off at school, later went to Griffin Park to rest in her car, and was found dead hours later near Gottfredson and Ford in Superior Township.
Her car was later found at the park with her keys still in the ignition, and her purse and shoes still inside.
The case went cold for decades until investigators used forensic genealogy testing on DNA collected in 1989, ultimately identifying Robbins, of Almont.
In late 2025, investigators collected Robbins’ DNA from a straw in his trash, and it matched DNA found in Wivell.
Wivell’s son, Dale Swanson, told Local 4: “For me, until I hear that guilty verdict is heard, it won’t be done for me.”
Trial moved
Trial was scheduled to begin on July 20. However, according to court records, it was rescheduled to Oct. 5, 2026.