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Murder Suspect to undergo Forensic Evaluation Examination
Mary Drier
Sun, 30 Nov 2025 16:48:55 EST
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William Leroy Channer III
click on the picture to enlarge |
During a Zoom preliminary examination hearing, Lapeer County Circuit Judge Laura Barnard approved the request of William Channer III's lawyer to have a forensic evaluation of competency and criminal responsibility examination done.
On Nov. 5, Channer, 30, allegedly fatally shot Logan Welch while he was at work at Trims Unlimited in Almont Township. Channer is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, being a habitual offender, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, using a firearm to commit a felony, and fleeing and eluding law enforcement.
If found guilty of first-degree murder, the punishment is life in prison without parole. At the time of the zoom hearing, Channer was in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds sustained in a shootout with deputies in Metamora Township following a high-speed chase after the incident at Trims Unlimited. Channer is guarded 24-hours a day by deputies as he recovers in McLaren Lapeer Regional Hospital.
When Channer is able to leave the hospital, he will be taken to the mental health facility in Ypsilanti for the competency examination.
A status hearing for Channer is set for Jan. 9, 2026, but that date is if his forensics examination is completed by then. Due to recovery time and availability of scheduling a forensic evaluation, that hearing might have to be rescheduled.
Following the shooting, the deputies who were involved were placed on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation by the Michigan State Police (MSP) of the incident, which is normal procedure in an officer-involved shooting. The MSP's investigation concluded the deputies' shooting was justified. Welch, who was the plant manager at Trims Unlimited, died from a single gunshot wound.
