Jonathan Welch

Serial Killer

Jonathan Welch: The 2022 Detroit and Harper Woods Murders

Overview

Jonathan Lamont-John Welch is an American murderer responsible for killing four people during a violent series of crimes in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, in June and July 2022. His victims included a young Detroit woman, the mother of his child, his stepfather and his own mother. Although the killings occurred within a relatively brief period and are sometimes described as a murder spree rather than a traditional series of killings separated by long cooling-off periods, Welch has also been classified as a serial killer because he committed four distinct murders during separate criminal episodes. The case became especially controversial because Welch killed three of the victims shortly after he was released from jail on bond. At the time, he was facing serious felony charges arising from the prolonged torture and sexual assault of his girlfriend, Zlayiah Frazier. Despite the severity of those allegations, Welch was able to post the required portion of a $100,000 bond. Two days after his release, Frazier, Welch's stepfather and Welch's mother were attacked at a Harper Woods residence.

Victims

• Natayla Morse, 24 killed June 4, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan: Prosecutors determined that Welch killed Morse through blunt-force trauma. Her body was located on June 6 in a vacant field south of a residence in the 4630 block of Lenox Street on Detroit's east side. Welch also took Morse's vehicle and drove it to the area of Lappin and Beland streets, where he set it on fire.
• Zlayiah Frazier, 22 killed July 10, 2022, in Harper Woods, Michigan: Frazier was Welch's girlfriend and the mother of his one-year-old son. She died from blunt-force trauma inside a home in the 20640 block of Kenosha Street. Her murder occurred weeks after she survived an extended torture and sexual-assault attack committed by Welch.
• Robert Bray Jr., 70 killed July 10, 2022, in Harper Woods, Michigan: Bray was Welch's stepfather and the husband of Flossie Bray. He was killed by blunt-force trauma inside the Kenosha Street residence during the same episode in which Frazier was murdered.
• Flossie Nicole Bray, 42 attacked July 10 and died July 16, 2022, in Harper Woods, Michigan: Bray was Welch's mother. Welch stabbed her repeatedly in the back with a butcher knife. She escaped from the residence and reached a neighboring home but suffered critical injuries. She died in a hospital six days later.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Natayla Morse Age: (24), Date of Death: 2022-06-15

Metro Detroit man sentenced to 45-70 years in prison for 3 killings