In the quiet city of Battle Creek, Michigan, the life of 27-year-old Michael James Robinson Rudd-Corbin was tragically cut short on November 23, 2019. A father of two boys, Michael was known by those who loved him as a kind and comforting person whose presence brought happiness and a sense of safety to many. He enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: playing basketball, shopping, and spending sunny days at the beach with his family. His life, however, came to a sudden and violent end in his own home on Boulder Street. It was his brother who made the grim discovery, finding Michael deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the homicide led Battle Creek Police detectives to a residence on Harris Street. There, with the assistance of the Emergency Response Team, they executed a search warrant which resulted in the arrest of three individuals. Among them were two 17-year-old high school students, Kolbie McGinn and Trenten Cohoon. The subsequent investigation revealed a plan that had spiraled into a fatal encounter.
According to investigators, McGinn and Cohoon had gone to Michael Corbin's home with the intention of stealing a lockbox. During the attempted robbery, a struggle ensued, and Michael was shot three times. In the aftermath, both teenagers pointed the finger at the other, each accusing the other of being the one to pull the trigger. Despite their conflicting accounts of who was directly responsible for the shooting, both admitted to taking several items from the residence after Corbin was killed.
The legal process, delayed for months by the pandemic, eventually brought the two young men to justice. Kolbie McGinn was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and felony firearm charges. Trenten Cohoon pleaded no contest to lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and armed robbery. Due to their ages at the time of the crime, the court had to determine the appropriateness of a life sentence without parole, a consideration under Michigan law for minors convicted of such serious offenses.
