In the quiet community of Farwell, Michigan, the life of 85-year-old Henry L. Boyer came to a tragic and violent end on October 20, 2021. What began as a response to a reported shooting at his home on South Harrison Avenue would unravel a horrific familicide. Responding deputies initially discovered two men, Zachary Allen Salminen, 36, and Wade Harlan Bacon, 39, who had been fatally shot.
Both men were at the Boyer residence to perform work on the roof.
As the investigation deepened, a more gruesome discovery was made in an outbuilding on the property: the bodies of Henry Boyer and his 61-year-old daughter, Patricia Ann Boyer. All four victims had been killed with a. 22 caliber rifle. The focus of the investigation quickly turned to another of Henry's daughters, Judy Marie Boyer, then 54 years old. Witnesses placed her at the scene, and she fled the area after the shootings. A search for her ensued, and she was located and arrested the following day in neighboring Wexford County.
The subsequent legal proceedings revealed a chilling plot. Judy Marie Boyer was charged with four counts of murder. Another individual, her nephew Ryan Beatty, was initially charged as an accessory after the fact, accused of helping her dispose of the murder weapon. It was later revealed that Beatty was unaware his grandfather and mother had been killed earlier in the day when he witnessed the shooting of Salminen and Bacon. Fearing for his own life, he convinced his aunt to hide the gun and leave. His cooperation with law enforcement led to the recovery of the rifle and Judy Boyer's capture. Prosecutors also disclosed that Judy Boyer had a list of other potential victims.
In September 2022, Judy Marie Boyer pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree premeditated murder for the deaths of her father and sister, and two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Wade Bacon and Zachary Salminen. Following her plea, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder convictions and a lengthy sentence for the second-degree murder convictions. The charges against Ryan Beatty were ultimately dismissed.
