A Lexington man accused of breaking into a woman’s home, sexually assaulting her and killing her was found guilty after a two-week long jury trial in Macomb County on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Stephen Freeman, 22, was convicted of first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree home invasion, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, concealing the death of an individual and receiving and concealing stolen property. A news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office stated the jury deliberated for seven hours before convicting Freeman on all charges.
Freeman was arrested in October 2022 after he was involved in a crash in a stolen truck and fled the scene on foot, according to a previous news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
When police arrived to examine the truck, they found the body of 62-year-old Gabriele Seitz in the back of the vehicle, which police determined had belonged to her.
An investigation into the death determined Freeman had broken into Seitz’s house in Roseville earlier that day when she was not present. When Seitz returned home, a struggle occurred between the two that ended with Seitz’s death. Freeman then reportedly put the victim’s body in the truck and drove away in it, prior to the crash.
Freeman is scheduled to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 22 by Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Julie Gatti. He faces up to life in prison.
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Jurors find Lexington man guilty of murdering woman in Macomb County
Reporting by Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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