On a cold January night in 2019, the life of 29-year-old Jon Paul Dirette was tragically cut short in his Houghton Lake, Michigan home. The quiet of the evening was shattered when three men, clad in dark clothing with their faces obscured and armed with long guns, forced their way into the McKinley Street residence. The intruders shot Dirette and fled into the night on foot.
Emergency services were called to the scene, and first aid was administered to Dirette before he was rushed to Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries on January 14, 2019.
The investigation that followed the violent home invasion led authorities to several suspects. In early February 2019, three men from Missaukee County were taken into custody and arraigned in the 82nd District Court. Levi D. Seelye, 20, of Falmouth, Keante A. Grays, 18, of Lake City, and Jordan R. Tetro, 18, of McBain, were all charged with murder, assault with intent to rob while armed, and felony firearm possession. All three men pleaded not guilty to the charges, and bond was denied.
As the legal process unfolded, the scope of the conspiracy behind Dirette's death became clearer with the arrest of two more individuals in connection with the fatal shooting. Seth N. Medendorp, 20, of Falmouth, and Travis E. Forbes, 21, of Lake City, were also arraigned. Medendorp eventually entered into a plea agreement, pleading guilty to a charge of first-degree home invasion. In a significant development in January 2020, Levi D. Seelye, one of the initial three suspects, entered a plea of no contest to an amended charge of second-degree homicide.
