In the quiet city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, the discovery of a man's body in the backyard of a residence on Union Street on the morning of December 9, 2014, marked the beginning of a complex and ultimately unresolved homicide investigation. The man was identified as Richard Street, a male whose life was cut short by a single gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Neighbors in the vicinity of the 1200 block of Union Street recalled hearing gunshots between 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. the night before Street's body was found. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety launched a homicide investigation, believing the act was not random but rather a targeted incident. Their investigation led them to a person of interest, Reginald Collins, who resided at the home where Street's body was discovered.
A witness came forward, claiming to have seen Collins shoot Street. This testimony, coupled with other evidence, led to Collins being charged with open murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony firearm. However, the case against him began to unravel as his defense team scrutinized the timeline of events. Cell phone records initially appeared to place Collins in South Bend, Indiana, around the time of the murder, a 35-mile drive from Benton Harbor. Investigators believed he had enough time to travel and commit the crime.
Further examination of the cell phone data revealed a critical flaw in the prosecution's theory. A time zone discrepancy in the cell tower records meant that Collins was actually in South Bend later than initially thought, leaving him with an improbable 38 minutes to make the journey to Benton Harbor. Faced with this new evidence that could create reasonable doubt for a jury, the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office made the decision in September 2016 to dismiss all charges against Reginald Collins. The dismissal was made without prejudice, meaning that charges could be refiled in the future if new evidence emerged. Following the dismissal, Collins was expected to be extradited to Georgia to address a probation violation for a drug charge. The homicide of Richard Street remains an open and unsolved case, leaving lingering questions and a search for justice that has yet to find its conclusion.
