Felando Hunter: The Detroit Robbery-Murderer
Overview
In the summer of 2012, Felando Damone Hunter carried out a brutal, three-week series of robbery-murders in Detroit, Michigan, that left four people dead. Acting with various accomplices, Hunter targeted and killed two teenage boys from the suburbs and two adult men in separate, violent incidents. His crimes were marked by extreme cruelty, particularly the abduction, torture, and execution-style slayings of 18-year-old Jacob Kudla and 17-year-old Jourdan Bobbish. Within weeks, he murdered two other men, John Villneff and Joshua Hayes, during robberies. A lengthy investigation into the teens' high-profile disappearance and murder eventually led to Hunter's arrest. By the time he was tried for those killings, he was already serving life sentences for the other two. He was ultimately convicted of all four murders and is serving multiple sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Murders of Jacob Kudla and Jourdan Bobbish
On the night of July 22, 2012, friends Jacob Kudla, 18, and Jourdan Bobbish, 17, drove from their homes in the suburb of Westland to Detroit. The two, described by family as being like brothers, went to the city with the intention of buying prescription drugs. There, they encountered Felando Hunter and his accomplice, Frederick Kyle Young.
Hunter and Young lured the teenagers to a drug house on Detroit's east side. Once there, they ordered Kudla and Bobbish to the ground, stripped them of their clothes, and robbed them. The ordeal escalated dramatically as Hunter and Young forced the two teens into the trunk of a car. For about an hour, they drove them around the city before stopping in a desolate, trash-strewn field near the city airport. There, Hunter and Young forced the boys to kneel and shot them both in the back of the head.
For five days, the families and friends of Kudla and Bobbish mounted a frantic search for the missing teens. Their search ended in tragedy on July 27, 2012, when the boys' bodies were discovered in the field. They were found dressed only in their undergarments. The case became a high-profile mystery, stoking fears about the dangers of the city.
The Murders of John Villneff and Joshua Hayes
Less than three weeks after murdering the two teenagers, Felando Hunter killed again. On August 9, 2012, he murdered John Villneff, a military veteran, during a burglary at Villneff's home on Rutland Street in Detroit. Hunter was later convicted for this crime and sentenced to life in prison, though details of this specific case are less publicized than his other murders.
The very next day, on August 10, 2012, Hunter participated in another fatal robbery. He and a group of accomplices—Jerry Pringle, Chanel McDonald, Amiri Naylor, and Jaromeo Gibson—conspired to rob Joshua Hayes at his Detroit apartment. McDonald, who knew Hayes, was used as a lure. She went to his apartment under the pretense of a social visit. Once inside, she signaled the others. Hunter and Pringle stormed the apartment, and both men shot Hayes in the head, killing him. The group then ransacked the apartment, stealing cash, drugs, and other property before fleeing.
The Victims
- Jacob Kudla, 18 — A recent high school graduate and a student at Schoolcraft College, Jacob was last seen on July 22, 2012. He was described by his family as a loving son whose future was stolen from him.
- Jourdan Bobbish, 17 — A high school senior, Jourdan was killed alongside his close friend Jacob on July 22, 2012. His mother described him as a typical teenager who loved the city of Detroit and never felt he was in danger there.
- John Villneff — A military veteran, he was murdered in his Detroit home during a burglary on August 9, 2012.
- Joshua Hayes — He was ambushed and murdered in his Detroit apartment on August 10, 2012, during a robbery set up by a group of people, including an acquaintance who betrayed his trust.
Investigation and Capture
The investigation into the murders of Kudla and Bobbish was complex and prolonged. Shortly after the teens vanished, Jacob Kudla's car was found abandoned, stripped of its sound system, and cleaned with bleach. Two men, Casey Green and Larry Anderson, were charged with larceny and evidence tampering in connection to the vehicle, but the trail to the killers went cold. For 21 months, police worked the case with few leads.
A break in the Joshua Hayes murder case ultimately helped investigators connect the dots. In November 2012, Chanel McDonald was brought in for questioning on an unrelated matter. Believing police wanted to talk about the Hayes murder, she began providing details of the crime, implicating herself, Hunter, Pringle, and the other accomplices.
Following a painstaking investigation, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced a major breakthrough in the Kudla and Bobbish case in April 2014. Felando Hunter, then 23, and Frederick Young, 25, were arrested and charged with the murders. By this time, Hunter was already incarcerated, having been convicted and sentenced for the murders of John Villneff and Joshua Hayes.
Trial and Sentencing
The trial for the murders of Jacob Kudla and Jourdan Bobbish began in December 2014. The prosecution presented evidence of the brutal nature of the crimes, detailing how the teens were robbed, tortured, and executed. On December 11, 2014, a Wayne County jury found both Felando Hunter and Frederick Young guilty on all counts: two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of felony murder, torture, armed robbery, and unlawful imprisonment.
On January 21, 2015, the two men appeared for sentencing. The families of the victims delivered emotional impact statements. Jacob Kudla's mother, Virgie Kudla, told the killers they "took away my future, my future as a mother." Jourdan Bobbish's mother, Carrie, spoke of her struggle to find forgiveness.
Hunter remained silent during his sentencing. His accomplice, Frederick Young, however, made a defiant statement, attempting to connect his case to the national "Black Lives Matter" movement by apologizing to the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, stating, "Hands up. Don't shoot." His statement, which showed no remorse for his own victims, was widely condemned.
The judge sentenced both Felando Hunter and Frederick Young to the mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder convictions. Hunter received these sentences on top of the life sentences he was already serving for the murders of John Villneff and Joshua Hayes.
Accomplices
In the murder of Joshua Hayes, Hunter acted with several accomplices. Jerry Pringle was convicted alongside Hunter of first-degree murder and also received a life sentence. Chanel McDonald and two others, Amiri Naylor and Jaromeo Gibson, pleaded guilty to lesser charges for their roles in the robbery and murder.
In the murders of Jacob Kudla and Jourdan Bobbish, Hunter's sole accomplice was Frederick Young, who was convicted on the same charges and received the same sentence of life without parole.
Aftermath and Legacy
The murders committed by Felando Hunter and his associates left a trail of devastation for four families. The killings of Jacob Kudla and Jourdan Bobbish, two young men from the suburbs who were preyed upon in the city, highlighted a stark and tragic reality of violent crime that resonated deeply within the community. The families' grief was compounded by the brutal and senseless nature of the murders. Felando Hunter is now serving multiple life sentences in the Michigan Department of Corrections, ensuring he will never be released.
