In the quiet town of Beulah, Michigan, the life of 56-year-old Alexander Sarantos was tragically cut short on April 11, 2020. A concerned friend, unable to reach him, went to his home on Cinder Road and made a grim discovery. After seeing Sarantos's car in the driveway and noticing bullet holes in the front window of the residence, the friend immediately contacted the authorities.
Responding deputies from the Benzie County Sheriff's Office were forced to enter the locked home, where they found Sarantos deceased from a gunshot wound. There was no weapon found near his body.
The investigation quickly centered on a neighbor, Taylor Manol, who was 23 years old at the time. Reports had been made in the days leading up to the incident concerning Manol screaming and firing a gun at night. Following an interview with investigators and the execution of search warrants, Manol was arrested and subsequently charged with open murder. The charge carries a potential life sentence.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Manol, after consuming a significant amount of whiskey, became angry and agitated, and proceeded to fire two different guns from his back porch in the direction of Sarantos's house between 11:00 p.m. and midnight. A bullet struck Alexander Sarantos in the heart, causing his death. Manol's defense team argued that the shooting was accidental. Manol himself testified, admitting to consuming bourbon and firing his guns, but claimed he did not intend to shoot Sarantos and had no memory of an argument or the specifics of what transpired. He also stated that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia disorder, bipolar type.
Despite the defense's arguments, the jury found Taylor Manol guilty of first-degree murder. In September 2021, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a legal conclusion to the case that deeply affected the Beulah community.
