Hillsdale Prosecuting Attorney Neal Brady announced no charges will be filed in relation to last month’s shooting death of James A. Momenee, 47.
On March 6, Brady released a written statement concluding that Edward L. Michael, 65, shot and killed his son-in-law, Momenee, on Feb. 12 to defend himself and his family.
After detailing Momenee’s history of abuse against his wife, Angela P. Momenee, unstable mental condition, and several accounts confirming his threats to his wife and her family that evening, Brady wrote, “It is within this heated environment, under these circumstances, with this history, that we must answer the question: Was Edward Michael’s belief that his daughter was in danger of death or serious injury honest and reasonable under the circumstances? The answer, in my opinion is yes. There can be no other answer.”
When the Michigan State Police responded to a 911 call from the home of the shooting in Ransom Township, they found Momenee dead with a gunshot wound. Michael immediately told authorities that he had shot and killed Momenee to protect his family from the man’s rage, according to the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s incident report.
The incident report included family members’ accounts that James and Angela Momenee had been arguing in the living room that evening and James Momenee threatened to hurt both his wife and the rest of the family several times.
“He was in a rage,” Michael told authorities. “He was threatening everybody in the house…I was in fear of other lives.”
Angela Momenee said their argument was largely caused by her acquiring divorce papers, although she had not served him with them yet.
Brady’s report added that James Momenee often went into physical rages and “seemed to become manic when he felt he was going to lose her.”
To explain his decision not to charge Michael, Brady described the demeanors and reputations of both men to further indicate James Momenee had the physical and mental capability to carry out his threats to “get the family.”
“Angela and Edward stated they witnessed James carry a large motorcycle engine up a flight of stairs. He cut large trees for money and could scale them with rope and tackle,” Brady’s report said. “Momenee was clearly physically capable of carrying out any threat of force or violence. In the 48 hours preceding his death, Momenee threatened on multiple occasions to ‘snap’ the jaw and neck of Angela.”
While James Momenee had a “history of violent crimes,” Michael “is characterized as a thoughtful, reasonable, nonviolent man, diminutive in size and possessing no criminal history.”
Brady said in his decision that he doesn’t think a jury would find Michael’s actions unreasonable and that Michael’s actions were justified.
