On New Year's Day in 2025, a quiet evening in Northfield Township, Michigan, was shattered by a violent home invasion that resulted in the deaths of 48-year-old Jennifer Lyn Bernhard and her 74-year-old father, Stevie Ray Smith. Jennifer's husband, Jeffrey Alan Bernhard, was also shot but survived his injuries. The attack, which took place at the Bernhard's residence on Nollar Bend Road, stemmed from a child custody dispute.
Three individuals, armed with shotguns and a handgun, forced their way into the home with the intention of taking a 4-year-old child fostered by the Bernhards. The biological mother of the child, 42-year-old Shuvonne Vinson, was identified as one of the assailants. During the confrontation, Jennifer Lyn Bernhard and her father were fatally shot. After the shooting, the intruders fled the scene, abducting both the 4-year-old foster child and the Bernhards' 9-year-old biological daughter.
A multi-agency law enforcement effort involving the Northfield Township Police, Michigan State Police, and the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office led to the swift apprehension of the three suspects in Ypsilanti Township. The two abducted children were found safe. The suspects were identified as Shuvonne Vinson, 37-year-old Gregory Callhan, and 60-year-old Keith Finley. Inside their vehicle, authorities discovered two shotguns and a handgun.
The three suspects were charged with a litany of felonies, including two counts of open murder, two counts of kidnapping, assault with intent to murder, home invasion, and multiple conspiracy and weapons-related offenses. During her arraignment, Vinson had an outburst in court, declaring that the victims 'deserved to die.' Vinson, Callhan, and Finley were all lodged in the Washtenaw County Jail and denied bond. Court proceedings, including preliminary examinations to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial, have since been underway.
