Episode 278

The murder of 14-year-old April Millsap in July 2014 sent the village of Armada into a frenzy. They hadn’t seen a murder in years let alone the murder of a child. The police enlisted the help of the Michigan State Police and the FBI to run down over 1000 tips. They followed every path of investigation. Most were dead ends but one led to James VanCallis.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence, and is
not intended for all audiences.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Listener discretion is advised.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
I'm not going to that level.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
We can't get anywhere.

Speaker 4 (00:23):
Well, if you like murder, I don't know who likes murder,
but you know what I mean, if you like this
sort of thing, the true crime thing here we are.
This is Sword and Scale s He's an eleven episode
two hundred and seventy eight, the show that reveals the
worst monsters are real. Criminals are a subset of our society.

(01:28):
We often like to think of them as different from ourselves.
We classify them as criminals and separate them from the
rest of us. It's those people over there, They're the
ones that make the bad choices, not of us. Sure,
it takes a bad decision or a bad series of
decisions to become a criminal, a lapse in judgment, a

(01:53):
bad choice drugs, things like that. And the thing is
we're all still to human beings. Human beings make mistakes,
and you and I are also human beings. But there
is a bit of a distinction, even though I would

(02:14):
argue it's a lot more fragile than most people want
to portray, especially those people that are teetering on the
edge of morality. There are those criminals who just find
it nearly impossible not to break the law. It's kind
of like who they are, you know, deep down psychologically.

(02:38):
It stems from a lot of things, but often they
have an utter lack of empathy. They put their desires
above everyone else. They rationalize and minimize their actions to
justify this behavior. In fact, they see themselves as so
superior that they feel outside the societal norms and above

(03:01):
all legal constraints. Any challenge to this superiority is met
with defensiveness and rage. These criminals relentlessly seek validation and
control through the skewed lens of their irrational mind, and
this pursuit almost always leads to destructive consequences for themselves and,

(03:27):
more importantly, all of those around them. About forty five

(03:59):
minutes north of Detroit, Michigan, tucked into the north central
part of McComb County, is the village of Armida, surrounded
by farmlands and orchards. It's best known for the Armida
Fair at the end of every summer. On July twenty fourth,
twenty fourteen, it was a cloudy afternoon, but the temperature

(04:21):
outside was only seventy two degrees on the west end
of town. April mill sap woke up late?

Speaker 5 (04:29):
Were you already awake when she woke up.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
Due this afternoon? Oh my, not too nice? But yeah,
why so late? Was she out late last night?

Speaker 6 (04:42):
She without cool?

Speaker 7 (04:44):
She goes to bedley, She goes to bed me one
in the morning.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
Sure, And do you think that she was at home
that all time?

Speaker 6 (04:52):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (04:52):
Yeah, because that might sneak out for a couple hours
to a Thursday night party.

Speaker 4 (04:58):
I'm on the couch like a typical fourteen year old.
April stayed up late and slept most of the day
during the summer. School was out after all. The woman
speaking is her mother, Jennifer. If she's hard to understand,
it's because she suffers from cerebral a taxia, an affliction

(05:18):
that affects her muscle movements. She has to walk with
a cane and has a bit of a speech impediment
because of this. She explains that April is a good
kid and would never sneak out of the house, and
she couldn't even if she wanted to. Her bedroom window
was painted shut and she couldn't leave through the front door.

(05:40):
Because she would have had to get past her mother
on the couch. Besides, the family pets served as April's alarm.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
So did she get up?

Speaker 6 (05:50):
We have two dogs in a camp.

Speaker 7 (05:52):
They all plot who she's like the pine piper.

Speaker 6 (05:56):
They all just is like April. They clung door, so
I know when she did them.

Speaker 4 (06:03):
April woke up bright and early in the afternoon. When
she exited her room, she greeted the family pets, two
dogs and a cat.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
What was her demeanor when she woke up this morning?
What she looked like was she just yeah, okay?

Speaker 4 (06:21):
And in true teenage fashion, April went straight from sleeping
to gaming on her computer.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
She spent most of playing in her beer on that PC. Yeah,
right there in the living room.

Speaker 1 (06:36):
She plays SIMS.

Speaker 7 (06:39):
She checks our website, she finds stuff with SIMS characters.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
She goes the line for that.

Speaker 4 (06:46):
After a while, she got tired of playing games and
decided to take the family dogs for a walk.

Speaker 8 (06:52):
I'm on the couch of the laptop and she came
last the dog to walk.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
She changed her clothes about three times.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
Come of the walk with the dog. Why did she
do that? Was typical?

Speaker 8 (07:08):
Yeah, and she gets the backpack ready because she takes
the water of the dog.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
She takes the little bowl she gets the dog water
when she walk.

Speaker 4 (07:18):
So she changed her clothes three times because she needed
the perfect outfit for her walk. She loaded her backpack
and water bottle, some dog treats and a little bowl
for the water. She grabbed her cell phone, put her
six year old border Collie lab mix on a leash,
and set out for the great outdoors.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Did she say where she was going?

Speaker 9 (07:42):
She didn't say exactly that the path that she was
going to take, But there's two paths she usually takes.

Speaker 1 (07:49):
She usually goes to the trail moved by the uh
granomy over.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
There, yep.

Speaker 9 (07:55):
And then from my house she goes the other direction
towards the church.

Speaker 4 (08:01):
On the southern border of the village of Armada is
the McComb Orchard Trail, Once a railroad, now a paved
path through the Michigan countryside. It stretches for miles and
is frequented by walkers, joggers, and bicyclists, especially during the summer.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
She didn't say which trail she was going on today. No, okay,
how long has she usually got?

Speaker 3 (08:25):
Does she always go for walks like that?

Speaker 10 (08:28):
Then?

Speaker 8 (08:29):
The dog lab the wake and she it's been trying
to get the dogs slowed down a little bit.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
K the meekest dog Themody have on the clipball Yeah back.

Speaker 6 (08:41):
And Shubert thanking him.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:43):
But Penny and I think.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
Shot, that's the dog's name, and I think.

Speaker 8 (08:49):
He would go to a Penny to come back, then
come back, and.

Speaker 6 (08:53):
Then the other them.

Speaker 4 (08:54):
My life, April often took her dogs for a walk,
but never took them together. They didn't walk well together.
On this day, she took her oldest dog first, Penny.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
So it's kind of unusual for her to walk this
late in the afternoon. In the evening.

Speaker 11 (09:12):
No, she.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
Goes up to Boston.

Speaker 8 (09:16):
It's a hell call, Hey, I'm at the park, coming
to me, And she goes.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
To the five to me and animal.

Speaker 5 (09:22):
So she leaves the house and you don't know what
trail she's going on. But were you fairly confident she
was going to go on the trail or you just yeah, yeah, she.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
Only goes so two places.

Speaker 5 (09:33):
Like I said, she didn't just walk around the village
or anything like that.

Speaker 3 (09:37):
She would know the dog.

Speaker 4 (09:39):
She was a creature of habit and only took one
of the two paths when walking the dogs. Penny especially
was getting on in years and couldn't handle long walks.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
How long was April usually gone when she'd go for a.

Speaker 9 (09:52):
Blot half hour at the moment, Yeah, because like I said,
the dog can handle.

Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yeah, so she going back.

Speaker 4 (10:01):
You may be wondering what this interview is all about. Well,
after April left to walk Penny that day, she never returned.

Speaker 6 (10:10):
When she was gone for two hours of talk the
boy in.

Speaker 8 (10:15):
Three hours as well, I started corn and I thought
maybe she met up with the last film.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
Town okay, And it was about eight thirty and me.

Speaker 6 (10:27):
Attacked to April, where are you?

Speaker 9 (10:29):
And then get a call back and then spin So
I started good sick and then a thirty it's getting
darker and darker, and then nine.

Speaker 8 (10:40):
O'clock I'm corner and there's the answered going to voye pil.

Speaker 4 (10:46):
April had been gone for hours before her mother realized
how late it was. The sun had already set and
April wasn't answering her phone and it.

Speaker 6 (10:56):
Would during the wartimes.

Speaker 12 (10:58):
They go to Boyd Pinel, so his phone was on.

Speaker 6 (11:05):
It goes straight and boys down.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Worry was setting in and Jennifer tried repeatedly to call
and text April, but never got a response.

Speaker 8 (11:16):
Les looking for I mean, she's at the foot, so
I didn't think should get too.

Speaker 4 (11:21):
Five sure, then she started to call her friends and
her fifteen year old boyfriend Austin.

Speaker 7 (11:28):
When I was getting died into at at home and
that's when I started getting married in the jam, he
said she sent him in that tab.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
Austin had been with a friend all day, helping him
and his father move and mounted TV. He didn't check
his phone until it was nearly eight o'clock. That's when
he saw a message from April received at six twenty
eight pm that read, I think I almost got kidnapped? OMFG,
what did you thinks?

Speaker 9 (12:00):
I don't know what the compsation was from that he
I think he asked threw what happened, but I don't
know what.

Speaker 8 (12:10):
Transpired after she said in that text, I would have
I tried to put him and he kind of know
shouldn't tell me anything, and he kind of stopped there.
But yeah, if if I get a text like that,
a room or Ben jumped in.

Speaker 6 (12:27):
The carving down there.

Speaker 4 (12:29):
The reason Austin didn't give any more information when pushed
was that he didn't have anymore. He responded to April's message,
but didn't get a reply. After Jennifer's call looking for April,
he immediately became concerned and got a friend to take
him to April's house.

Speaker 5 (12:47):
What was his reaction when you were talking to him
about He thought it was a joke.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
Okay, he thought maybe it was because when he got
back to.

Speaker 6 (12:56):
Our house, of course wasn't there.

Speaker 9 (12:58):
Or he thought her not well shopping and jok They
seemed drive by and then pretty called me.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
Austin and his friend joined Jennifer and looking for April.
The village of Armada was only about three quarters of
a square mile, so they hoped she couldn't have gotten far.
They split up. Austin and his friend went down to
the comb Orchard Trail, one of April's possible routes, while
Jennifer continued to drive around. The two boys went west

(13:33):
on the trail but didn't find her. When they started
heading east, they noticed something in the distance. Far down
the trail, they could see the lights of emergency vehicles.
When they met up with Jennifer and relayed the information,
she decided to go to the police and report her
missing and to see if there was any connection that you.

Speaker 3 (13:57):
Have noticed anything strained in the last couple a month,
a couple of weeks, a couple of days.

Speaker 6 (14:02):
No, I mean, did.

Speaker 5 (14:04):
April mention anything about having any odd encounters on their
social media stuff? Any was she talking to anybody?

Speaker 10 (14:15):
Not to me?

Speaker 4 (14:18):
The interview took a strange turn. It started to veer
off from the line of questioning about where April could
be and changed to questions about any events that could
have foretold a tragic end?

Speaker 3 (14:34):
Did you know where to take drugs?

Speaker 6 (14:36):
Ever?

Speaker 10 (14:36):
You know?

Speaker 3 (14:37):
Fourteen experiment was.

Speaker 8 (14:39):
No when the when the topic even comes up.

Speaker 4 (14:44):
The police were asking these questions for a reason. The
emergency vehicles on the east side of the Macomb Orchard
Trail and her disappearance were not a coincidence. They were connected.
About the same time as and his friend joined Jennifer
and looking for April, two joggers running on the trail

(15:05):
saw Penny alone. At first, they just ran past, thankful
that the dog wasn't aggressive, But when they came back
by and she was still there, they decided to investigate.

Speaker 11 (15:20):
The dog came running out of the trail barking erratically.
My wife looked at me and said that it appeared
to be a mannequin or a dow looked like down
there there was a girl with her skirt down at
her knees and her shirt pulled up a book her chests,
and her head was kicked back.

Speaker 13 (15:37):
Nine one one.

Speaker 14 (15:38):
I'm fairly certain we just found a body along the
Mountain Bike trail.

Speaker 4 (15:42):
Penny alerted the joggers to April, just thirty feet off
the trail.

Speaker 1 (15:47):
We're between Omo and North Avenue.

Speaker 7 (15:50):
Goods then are made of.

Speaker 13 (15:51):
Okay, it looks like GPS, putting you a lot closer
to Fulton Street.

Speaker 14 (15:56):
We're kind of right in the middle.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Is it a male or female?

Speaker 14 (15:59):
Female?

Speaker 7 (16:00):
About how old do you think she hit?

Speaker 10 (16:02):
I didn't get that close.

Speaker 15 (16:03):
Okay.

Speaker 7 (16:04):
Is she on the trail, No, she's off of.

Speaker 4 (16:06):
The trails, touched back into the lords.

Speaker 14 (16:08):
Her clothes are all taken off.

Speaker 1 (16:10):
Okay.

Speaker 16 (16:10):
And you don't believe she's breathing.

Speaker 14 (16:12):
I don't believe so.

Speaker 10 (16:13):
No.

Speaker 4 (16:14):
The police had to break the news to Jennifer that,
even though they didn't have an official idea yet, it
was likely April's body that they found in the woods
off the trail, with her loyal dog Penny at her side.

(17:03):
On July twenty fourth, twenty fourteen, April millsap set off
for an evening walk with her dog, Penny, but never
returned after it got dark. Her mother got worried when
her calls and texts were ignored. She began to search.
She called all over the small village of Armida looking

(17:24):
for even April's fifteen year old boyfriend helped to search
for It wasn't until they knew of the large gathering
of emergency vehicles on the Macomb Orchard Trail that they
feared the worst and went to police to report her missing.
That night, the police announced to the media their progress

(17:46):
and the case.

Speaker 17 (17:47):
There are two missing persons that were investigating, trying to
find out, you know, what their situation is, to make
a determination to see if that's maybe our victim. We
don't know that much about it. There are no signs,
you know, of gunshots or knife wounds or anything like that,
but we are, you know, looking to the medical examiner's

(18:10):
office to tell us what the cause of death was.

Speaker 4 (18:13):
The following morning, with more information, the chief of police
gave a press conference addressing the now confirmed homicide.

Speaker 17 (18:21):
The Armida Police Department in the Michigan State Police are
currently investigating a homicide which occurred within the village limits
of Armida. Happened in the area of Fulton Road in Depot,
which is at the south end of town. The body
was discovered approximately eight twenty last night. Preliminary investigation reveals
that two adults that were on the trail using the

(18:43):
trail were alerted to a female's body which was located
in a drainage ditch. The victim has been identified as
April don millsap She's fourteen years of age and she
is from the village of Armida.

Speaker 4 (18:57):
Her official cause of death was blood forced truck to
the head and exphyxiation, but even this tragic news brought
some sense of relief to her family.

Speaker 17 (19:10):
When they did the autopsies. There are no signs of
sexual assault.

Speaker 4 (19:14):
And her dog Penny, never left her side. April's lifeless
body lay in the brush thirty feet from the trail
for a couple of hours before she was found. Her
backpack and cell phone were missing. Even the dog's leash
and collar were missing. This suggested that she was murdered
during a robbery, except she was practically naked. This implied

(19:40):
sexual assault, but there was no evidence of it occurring.
The evidence didn't tell the whole story. All they knew
for sure was that she was beaten and exphyxiated to
death in broad daylight, mere feet from a busy trail.
The police turned to the public for help.

Speaker 17 (20:01):
Detectives are currently looking for a large gray box van
that was seen in the area of the crime scene.
This is described as a painters type of van. It
has dents all over the van, and the van was
occupied by two white males. It has not been determined
the role of the van in this investigation. If you

(20:24):
were aware of a similar van in the area or
know somebody that has that type of van, the police
are asking the citizens to contact the Michigan State Police.
The van was seen late afternoon early evening last night,
and again we don't know the participation of the van.

Speaker 6 (20:43):
It could be just.

Speaker 17 (20:44):
The wrong place at the wrong time, and if we
can get somebody to come forward and let us know
that they were out here, that's what we're looking for.

Speaker 4 (20:51):
Of course, it's a box van, the go to vehicle
for sick fox. A young girl saw this van around
the time of the murder and described the men driving
it as steering her down. The police wasted no time.
They gave the media what information they had and let
them disseminate it. But they didn't just sit around waiting

(21:14):
for tips.

Speaker 17 (21:15):
We were about to start a canvas of the whole village.
The van was seen, you know, kind of circling in
and out of the area, so that's why somebody took
a picture of them.

Speaker 4 (21:27):
They canvassed the area and interviewed practically everyone in the village.
They even performed a roadblock at the village's main crossroads
and questioned everyone who drove through. The local police enlisted
the help of Michigan State Police and the FBI. They
even searched with scent dogs, but came up with nothing.

(21:50):
The tips from the public started pouring in, though, and
quickly the box van suspicion was put to rest. The
contractor called and admitted to being in the area, showing
his new employee some of the homes he previously worked on.
It was the good people of Armida that would eventually

(22:10):
break open the case. People started coming forward that were
on the trail on that day. William Buchanan was an
avid bicyclist and was riding the trail when April walked
her dog past.

Speaker 6 (22:26):
Loud You ribe Flee Virtue Trail on July twenty fourth,
two I did. When you're heading feast Trick, I do
you see a motorcycle on that trail?

Speaker 18 (22:42):
Do you see a young girl rocking a dog?

Speaker 6 (22:45):
When you're heading in that direction on that trail?

Speaker 4 (22:49):
As he was riding east on the trail shortly before
five point forty pm, he didn't see anything unusual, But
just a few minutes later, Amy and her mother, Gail
did see something.

Speaker 19 (23:02):
Did you go for a bike ride on July twenty
fourth of two thousand and.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
Fourteen, Yeah, I did.

Speaker 6 (23:12):
Did you go with anybody?

Speaker 20 (23:14):
Yeah, me and my mom went for a bike ride
after she had gotten home from work that day.

Speaker 6 (23:18):
Did there come a point in time.

Speaker 21 (23:20):
Where you ran came across a young girl and her dog?

Speaker 1 (23:24):
Yes.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
The time was approximately five point forty when Amy and
Gail first saw April.

Speaker 18 (23:31):
She was walking west on the west on the south
side of the trail, heading west.

Speaker 1 (23:37):
I was heading east.

Speaker 12 (23:39):
She was looking.

Speaker 22 (23:39):
Down at her phone or whatever she was looking at.

Speaker 23 (23:42):
She was looking down, and she was walking her dog.
And my first thought was is the dog friendly? And
then it was just maybe a minute, not much longer.

Speaker 22 (23:55):
She crossed over to the north side, so she was
on the same side of the trail as I was,
and I was heading these.

Speaker 6 (24:02):
What did you do when you crossed over?

Speaker 22 (24:06):
Well, I looked at her and I said hello, and
I said nice dog, and she smiled in reply said
it yes, thank you very much.

Speaker 4 (24:15):
It was after this encounter that the pair witnessed a
peculiar site. Motorized vehicles of any kind were not allowed
on the trail, it's illegal. When they saw a motorcycle
on the trail, it stood out to Amy and Gail,
but also worried them.

Speaker 1 (24:35):
We were just.

Speaker 21 (24:36):
Riding our bicycles and I was still on the north
side of the trail, and the motorcycle was just sitting there,
and I got over to the south side to get
out of the way.

Speaker 18 (24:50):
Because it was just sitting there, not moving at all. Well,
I was alerted because number one, I right away knew.

Speaker 6 (24:59):
There should be a motor cycle tricks. And I also
thought it odd that someone.

Speaker 18 (25:05):
Was completely covered, and why is this person on the
trail completely covered?

Speaker 6 (25:11):
You couldn't see their face at all.

Speaker 4 (25:13):
The motorcycle was odd enough, but the rider was also
covered from head to toe in July. He was wearing
long dark pants, a long sleeved hoodie and a full
face helmet. Their suspicions were raised, but they pedaled on
by minding their own business. That's how you stay a lot,

(25:37):
by the way, just minding your own business. You're welcome anyway.
Shortly after Amy and Gail rode by, Doug and Mary
came down the trail.

Speaker 6 (25:47):
What is it that catches your attention?

Speaker 10 (25:50):
There were two people ahead on the trail, and it
was difficult to tell how we would need to move.
They were more on my side of the trail, but
also in the middle of the trail up ahead and staff.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
We saw the two people on the side of the
road and the lower and the left side of the
trail that were they were near each other. They looked
to be talking, and then on the opposite side of
the trail I could see a motorcycle parked.

Speaker 4 (26:17):
At first, they were only concerned with how to pass
without causing an accident. They were on bikes traveling more
than ten miles an hour, But as soon as they
got close they noticed an odd interaction.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
As we started to approach, the two people separated ways.
She started walking on the trail toward us with her dog,
and we passed her first.

Speaker 10 (26:41):
They looked like they were together on the trail.

Speaker 4 (26:44):
Now, while it's not really odd to see two people
on the trail together, it is odd to see them
part ways.

Speaker 10 (26:52):
So I said hi, and I don't know if I
heard her say hi or she mouthed high but she
responded like hi.

Speaker 4 (27:05):
They saw April on the trail with a man, but
they quickly parted ways. When Mary said hello to April,
she replied and smiled. The smile however, you know, it's
one of those smiles where it's like, are you really smiling?
What are you trying to convey to me? Yeah, it

(27:26):
was one of those kind of smiles, tight lipped and odd.
You know, I just.

Speaker 1 (27:32):
Knew that she seemed tense.

Speaker 10 (27:35):
With the smile. I don't know, it just seemed unusual.
And I'm passing her on the south side, and she
shifted her eyes to the south side.

Speaker 4 (27:47):
After passing April, they had to negotiate passing the man
with the motorcycle, so Mary's attention was glued to him.

Speaker 10 (27:56):
I'm just looking at his face. I think I was.
I don't know. I was maybe curious, but mostly I
wanted to make sure he wasn't going to move into
our lane, and I said hi.

Speaker 6 (28:10):
Was their response?

Speaker 10 (28:12):
No, after you said hi, what did you see yet?

Speaker 2 (28:16):
Good?

Speaker 10 (28:17):
When you say hi to someone and you're up close,
you expect a response back. He had an angry look
on his face and he looked down and I just
passed him.

Speaker 6 (28:29):
How did that, I guess strike.

Speaker 1 (28:31):
You as rude?

Speaker 4 (28:33):
Rude? Indeed, then again, that is how you stay alive.
The couple continued to ride, but the whole interaction stuck
with Mary. She even said something to Doug about it.
She didn't understand why such a girl was talking to
an older man. She assumed it was her stepfather or

(28:55):
secret older boyfriend. Ooh, how salacious. Shortly that William Buchanan
rode back through in the other direction. This time it
did see something I could see.

Speaker 24 (29:09):
White down at it worked a mile away as I
am to see those A young man, tall and sixteen,
I thought, onto the teens TEUs never had own so yellow.

Speaker 14 (29:27):
Face moments, supervisor.

Speaker 25 (29:32):
I'm looking at the.

Speaker 6 (29:33):
Eyes as a tall he.

Speaker 4 (29:38):
Like Mary was drawn to the man's eyes, finding it
odd that he looked angry.

Speaker 26 (29:46):
His eyes were so wide, anger, nervous, or song, and
concern was I'm as sure as bicyclist, and I'm really angry.

Speaker 6 (29:57):
With him, and I got or be an rbl for
everybody was eyes.

Speaker 4 (30:05):
As soon as he passed the man with the angry eyes,
he saw April.

Speaker 27 (30:10):
Immediately after passing shall dark doesn't lose sun and on
the left side of young girl hey blessed on the
railing on the left side, on the edge.

Speaker 4 (30:28):
After passing, the whole scene just puzzled him.

Speaker 24 (30:31):
I was trying to understand the scene of the situation. Right,
unusual for the motorcycle to be there. She's on the
left side of the road for the past. My thought
was there was something going on there between the two
of them. Like my thought was that she's still on
the same side of the path. They just said he
wanted like they thought, this is a girl walking walking

(30:52):
the trail and meeting with the white friend that she's
not supposed to or he has a motorcycle but he
just dropped off.

Speaker 6 (30:59):
I mean, just thoughts going through my head. I was
trying to process why these two leaders were there in
the position they were, what they were doing.

Speaker 4 (31:08):
He was curious about what those two had been up to,
but he kept peddling. Moments later, Eric Reshkei and his
two daughters rode down the trail heading east.

Speaker 6 (31:22):
At some point in time on the half, did you
see April mill Set?

Speaker 3 (31:27):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (31:29):
At approximately what time did you see April Millst It
would have been about six twenty five when you saw
April mills that.

Speaker 3 (31:36):
Did she have a dog with her?

Speaker 6 (31:39):
Yes? Was she with anybody?

Speaker 3 (31:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (31:42):
There was a motorcycle pussing along next door.

Speaker 28 (31:45):
Was the motorcycle moving or was the motorcycle still when
you first came upon that it was moving?

Speaker 6 (31:51):
How close is the motorcycle to April? It was right
next to her. Was in the middle of the trail.

Speaker 4 (31:57):
He saw April and the man on the motorcycles slowly
riding alongside her.

Speaker 6 (32:02):
From their body lang.

Speaker 28 (32:03):
Which it seemed like they had been talking to you
or maybe your kids acknowledge April.

Speaker 6 (32:10):
Yeah, who does my old paulist? Did April respond to it?

Speaker 12 (32:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (32:15):
How did she respond? She looked out from her phone
and waved and said out to her real quick. And
then that's it.

Speaker 4 (32:22):
Other than the motorcycle on the trail, nothing seemed wrong
when they saw April. He and his daughters, just like
the others, kept riding. Three minutes later, April sent the
text message I think I almost got kidnapped. Omfg. Minutes
after that, Amy and Gail rode back in the other direction.

Speaker 29 (32:46):
Yes, I rode up on a motorcycle that was part
on the left side of the trail.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
My guard went up.

Speaker 20 (32:54):
I was cautious that somebody was going to jump out
at me. Why I thought that, I do not know.
I just kind of even slowed down because I was
just I was honestly thought somebody was going to jump.

Speaker 1 (33:10):
Out, or I wanted to know where they were at,
you know, what were they doing?

Speaker 27 (33:13):
You know.

Speaker 4 (33:14):
Little did Amy know that her fear in that moment
was completely warranted.

Speaker 29 (33:21):
I heard like stepping on the bushes on the side,
and when I looked over there, it appeared to be
the dog with his paws.

Speaker 4 (33:33):
For just a second, her fear dissipated. Then she saw
the rider of the motorcycle.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
Then I made eye contact with the person that was
out there.

Speaker 4 (33:47):
Right after she noticed Penny in the bushes, She looked
up and locked eyes with the man just standing there
in the brush. His hands were at his sides and
he just stared back.

Speaker 1 (34:01):
His eyes were very piercing very like he had done
something wrong.

Speaker 4 (34:08):
After this frightening encounter, Amy caught up with her mom.
Gail wanted to go back and investigate the riderless spike.
She hadn't seen the man.

Speaker 1 (34:20):
She wanted to turn around and go back.

Speaker 6 (34:22):
What did you say to her?

Speaker 1 (34:24):
I said absolutely not. We're going home, and I said
it very sternly.

Speaker 4 (34:29):
The police would later surmise that Amy interrupted the man
on the motorcycle. If the brush weren't so thick, she
would have seen April at the man's feet as he
stared back at her. Minutes after Amy saw the man,
terrell Land rode east on the trail.

Speaker 6 (34:49):
Do you encounter at any time a motorcycle on that path?

Speaker 3 (34:55):
No?

Speaker 6 (34:55):
I did not.

Speaker 30 (34:56):
As you're passing the grater and heading into the tunnel
of trees, anything unusual that you see, yes, okay, what's that?

Speaker 6 (35:06):
Well?

Speaker 2 (35:06):
I read the probably written this trail maybe a hundred
times over the past couple of years, and never do
I see.

Speaker 6 (35:14):
A dog free saw it and wondered what the heck?

Speaker 2 (35:19):
And I thought someone was probably walking it and then
stepped into the tree to get to believe themselves, is
what I thought, So.

Speaker 6 (35:27):
I kept writing.

Speaker 4 (35:28):
He rode the trail a little further, then turned around
and came back.

Speaker 6 (35:33):
Do you see the dog again when you pass that area?

Speaker 3 (35:38):
No?

Speaker 1 (35:38):
Are you then consciously looking for the dog?

Speaker 10 (35:41):
Now?

Speaker 14 (35:41):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (35:42):
Do you see the dog?

Speaker 10 (35:44):
No?

Speaker 1 (35:45):
Do you hear something?

Speaker 3 (35:46):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (35:47):
What is it that you hear?

Speaker 6 (35:49):
Repeated parting. It was just like a constant. It's just
it was enough that I wrote what kind of happened?

Speaker 2 (35:58):
And I'm going because I'm on the bike pro and
I I didn't put two and two together until I
got home.

Speaker 4 (36:04):
It was all over when Eric, Reshki, Doug and Mary
came back down that trail. It was only later that
the two joggers were alerted by Penny and decided to
investigate finding April's body. If not for the presence of
the motorcycle and the rider with the rude behavior, who

(36:25):
knows if the witnesses that day would have noticed or
even remembered April walking her dog, perhaps they wouldn't have
had to, because it was shaping up that the man
on the motorcycle was the last person to see April alive,
who was most likely her killer. From the witness statements,

(36:47):
the police were able to build a timeline of April's
last moments she was attacked sometime between six twenty five
when Eric Rishki first saw her and six four when
Amy saw the man standing in the brush. This was
the fifteen minute span of time in which April was attacked,

(37:10):
her clothes nearly ripped off, and her head bashed and
neck stopped. The police got a search warrant for her
cell phone and began to compare her GPS data to
what they already knew. They were working the case. Twenty
four to seven. In shifts, they performed several more searches

(37:31):
with and without the aid of dogs. They began interviewing
all registered sex offenders in the area, and once again
they asked the public to help locate the owner of
an Enduro style off road motorcycle, possibly colored and blue
and white, but this time they released a composite sketch

(37:53):
provided by Amy.

Speaker 31 (37:55):
Police released this sketch of a man they want to
talk to. He's a white male with sandy or reddish hair.
Police aren't certain about his height, but say he's not
excessively short.

Speaker 19 (38:05):
We're just telling the public, if you see this person,
then you know I see if they're exhibiting some type
of behavior too, and that's what we're really looking at.
A lot of times when these people commit these type
of crimes, they'll either change their work habits, so they'll
do some different things in order to make it a
little they're not themselves. We're pretty sure that somebody this
person may have talked to somebody. If somebody has talked
to you or something that you think is suspicious, give

(38:27):
us a call and let us look at it. We'll
determine if it's a good tip or not.

Speaker 4 (38:30):
And the tips came flooding it In a matter of days,
the police had over four hundred tips. One officer the
day after April's death was following up on the sighting
of a motorcycle and it fit the description when he
spotted another motorcycle.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
I seen it as I'm driving by.

Speaker 16 (38:50):
I turned my car around, pulled into the driveway, took
a little better look at it from inside my car,
snapped a couple photos of it with my cell phone,
and snapped a photo of the address of the house,
and then I proceeded back to the command center. I
wanted to see if this was in fact the type
of bike that the tip was speaking about, the on

(39:13):
road off road style bike. Possibly it was and so
at that point we made a determination to go back
out there, make contact with the homeowner and gather some
more information about the bike.

Speaker 4 (39:26):
When he returned to the house, the motorcycle was gone.
They questioned the homeowner, who told them that the bike
belonged to a friend of his, James Vencallis. They found
his address through motor vehicle records and wants to go
pay him the visit. Say hello, hi.

Speaker 16 (39:44):
James went to the front door, knocked on the door.
An older gentleman answered. I asked to speak to James
van Callis. He said he was James Vancallis. I asked
him if there was another James van Callis, maybe a son.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
He said there was.

Speaker 16 (40:00):
I asked him if I could talk to him. He
yelled in the house for James van Cals or James
awready called him. At that time the defendant came to
the door. He ended up coming out on the porch.
The original James van Cals to answer the door. It
was a determined later that's his father. He also came

(40:22):
out on the porch as well as a female came
out on the porch.

Speaker 4 (40:26):
Thirty two year old James Donald ben Callis lived with
his father, sixty six year old James Bernard ben Callis.
Everyone called him Jim. His mother, Brenda Poopy also lived
there and yes that's really her name. His girlfriend, Crystal Stabler,
also lived there too, along with their three year old

(40:50):
James kind of fits the description too. He has a
slender build and other than the hair, he looks like
the composite sketch.

Speaker 16 (41:00):
I asked the defendant some questions.

Speaker 3 (41:02):
What did you ask?

Speaker 16 (41:03):
I told him we were doing an investigation in Armida.
I asked him if he was in Armida the day before.

Speaker 3 (41:10):
He said he was.

Speaker 4 (41:12):
He cooperated with the officers and answered their questions, albeit vaguely.
He gave approximate times for his whereabouts that day. He
said he left home on his bike at around five
pm and he ran by his friend's house, but he
wasn't home. He continued to Armida and stopped at the
Marathon gas station to rest a bit. The seat on

(41:34):
the bike was a bit uncomfortable. Then he went to
his brother's house.

Speaker 6 (41:40):
It was casual.

Speaker 13 (41:41):
It was just us, you know, askeding about you know,
his his wharebouls and everything in Armida, and it was
very casual, very.

Speaker 32 (41:49):
Front And what about the next morning, about twelve hours later,
when you asked him the riccy happened.

Speaker 6 (41:54):
It was it was so friendly and he was busy,
but it was so Did you have contact with him
then later in the day hard waves and yes, a phone.

Speaker 16 (42:10):
I initially called him later in the afternoon there was
no answer.

Speaker 6 (42:15):
I left the message and then received a phone call.

Speaker 3 (42:17):
Back from him and.

Speaker 6 (42:21):
Yes, yes I did, and what was back? He was
very upset, uh to the point where he was I
rate on the phone.

Speaker 13 (42:32):
He was yelling at me down the phone, telling me
that it was a witch hunt, that we are trying
to call and talk to all kinds of people and
take people cell phones.

Speaker 6 (42:44):
It was just more of an out of control typephone call.

Speaker 4 (42:49):
James ben Callis didn't like the police because he had
a record. In two thousand and five, he was convicted
of breaking and entering, for which he got probation. Then
in two thousand and seven, he was convicted of failure
to pay child support and sentenced to five years probation.
He quickly violated that probation by continuing not to pay

(43:12):
child support and was put in prison for about a year.
When April was murdered, he hadn't been out of prison
that long. The elder Van Callis also had a record,
but is that really a surprise. In nineteen ninety five,
he pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct.

(43:32):
One victim was between thirteen and fifteen years of age
and the other well, the other was younger than thirteen.
He is a registered sex offender. James was in Armada
that day and at that time he owned an Enduro

(43:54):
style motorcycle and he fit the description well enough. When
the police conduct an investigation, they follow a lead until
it bears fruit or fizzles out. They started to investigate
him and tried to verify his story. Either he did
it or they would have to rule him out. But

(44:16):
James didn't like being investigated and quickly went from cooperative
to combative. So they took their suspicions to the judge.

Speaker 6 (44:27):
We didn't have a good search warrant.

Speaker 19 (44:28):
To judge went and sign it.

Speaker 3 (44:29):
We wouldn't be there.

Speaker 24 (44:30):
He is a person of interest in our investigation in Armida.

Speaker 16 (44:33):
We are looking at him.

Speaker 4 (44:35):
After trying to contact James several times to get a
written statement and ask a few more questions, they were
only met with hostility, so they filed for a search
warrant for his residents. The FBI, Michigan State Police, the
McComb County Sheriff's Office, and the Armada Police descended on

(44:56):
the Van Callis property, some fifteen miles northeast st of Armida.
James immediately protested and there.

Speaker 16 (45:05):
Was other details that we wanted to discuss with you,
and we're not able to get them.

Speaker 20 (45:09):
How do we how do we do it?

Speaker 14 (45:10):
My back?

Speaker 1 (45:12):
Did I put my friend?

Speaker 14 (45:13):
My parents?

Speaker 33 (45:13):
I put my foot and you're not doing that, Jimmy.

Speaker 16 (45:16):
It's gotta stop generalizing everybody, because everybody out.

Speaker 3 (45:19):
Here is if somebody touched your parents.

Speaker 14 (45:22):
What would I do if somebody touch my parents?

Speaker 16 (45:25):
Well, not being in possession, you're in and they're coming
to my house and doing a search.

Speaker 1 (45:28):
One't So it's hard for me to say arbitrarily.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
If somebody sends me wonder you wonder.

Speaker 14 (45:33):
We're here it We were walking right up here, We
are here, we are here, we are don't shoot. Here's
our hands, here's our hands and they're dragging us.

Speaker 9 (45:39):
Right, he's just talking.

Speaker 15 (45:42):
I'm not nervous.

Speaker 6 (45:43):
I know I'm nervous. You are too.

Speaker 15 (45:45):
Don't starts about once because.

Speaker 1 (45:50):
You got FBI, State Police and sheriffs here.

Speaker 10 (45:54):
I would.

Speaker 14 (45:54):
I'm nervous kissing ship the same way I was Julie
watching mouth.

Speaker 6 (45:58):
That is true.

Speaker 14 (46:01):
You can't go anywhere without getting your next step done.

Speaker 9 (46:04):
Apparently you can't ride your.

Speaker 14 (46:05):
Motorcycle pour An here on because somebody's gonna say something.

Speaker 10 (46:09):
You're gonna get your next steps on.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
The team that first served the warrant was apparently a
little rough with the Van Callises. James was complaining about
how his parents were treated and that his neck was
stepped on. He didn't want to answer any questions about
April's murder. An outright refused to provide a written statement
for what he already said.

Speaker 14 (46:32):
I'm not right nothing or even the best. That's a
form of a mission, and I'm not going to say
they have.

Speaker 6 (46:40):
Some variant from my story.

Speaker 14 (46:41):
I gave you in my written one and have ah
fuck that shit.

Speaker 6 (46:46):
I gave you two savans.

Speaker 28 (46:47):
Other than that, I don't recall anything of that name.

Speaker 4 (46:49):
These questions seemed to trigger his anger. He began fluctuating
between two extreme emotions. One moment he was calm and collected,
and the next he flew into a blind rage.

Speaker 6 (47:05):
James, give me staff that we can't get.

Speaker 32 (47:20):
Right now, okay, because if you're gonna raise your voice
like that, well I got no problem.

Speaker 10 (47:25):
Boy.

Speaker 3 (47:26):
James got quite a bit of a temper when he
gets going on.

Speaker 16 (47:28):
You don't like it when he's court, Well, it sounds
like when he's when he's not in charge.

Speaker 3 (47:35):
It sounds why you gotta be so rude to us?
Can you be nice for two seconds?

Speaker 19 (47:44):
You have to be rude?

Speaker 14 (47:45):
Give me, I want hitting the car?

Speaker 1 (47:50):
Shut up.

Speaker 4 (47:52):
The officer was right, James didn't like it when he
wasn't in charge. In fact, that was evident every time
he opened his loud mouth. When he wasn't berating them
at the top of his lungs, he was threatening the
officers with a lawsuit.

Speaker 14 (48:09):
So you guys through my door with a warrant just
for material that's not.

Speaker 32 (48:17):
I gotta look good.

Speaker 30 (48:18):
There was well, there were some allegations that you know,
you were hot headed and there was some weapons in
the in the house.

Speaker 6 (48:26):
Who had allegations of that?

Speaker 3 (48:28):
Who's the accuser?

Speaker 1 (48:30):
Boy?

Speaker 3 (48:30):
I can't tell you.

Speaker 14 (48:32):
All right, they turn up.

Speaker 31 (48:34):
On you out.

Speaker 30 (48:35):
Yeah, you sound like a smart guy, man, I mean,
did you ever think about going to college or was
that not on the radar for you.

Speaker 14 (48:42):
Or people that go to college are the ones that
can't learn from the book.

Speaker 20 (48:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:46):
Yeah, that's a hard stance to take when you're an uneducated, unemployed,
thirty two year old who spent time in prison for
not paying child support. But it didn't stop James from
trying to sound smart and make things personal.

Speaker 14 (49:03):
What your hand, don't make me sue you as an individual,
I'll put a personal mean on your house. I'll put
a you.

Speaker 6 (49:14):
You came here, you respond, yes, sir? You assue me
in the car, I'll wait. Oh god, So anyway, I'm done.

Speaker 11 (49:24):
I got to tell you, ma'm I'm sorry, but I'm
done putting up with him.

Speaker 27 (49:27):
I'm done.

Speaker 16 (49:29):
I only have patience so long that I try to
get people an understanding, you know. But then when he
when he starts making it a little more personal, I'm
not going to sit here listening to him.

Speaker 3 (49:41):
Making your mother's gonna arrest you. I hope that's a
threaten man will don't don't get.

Speaker 4 (49:48):
And when he wasn't threatening a lawsuit, he was letting
the officers know how he really feels about them.

Speaker 14 (49:53):
Every time, man, every time you show up, it's always enoughing,
but bad news. It's never good. I mean, I probably
told you sometimes I don't even want to pull over
when they're pulling me over. You know what, I'm the
kind of guy who wants to slam on his brakes
and make you asking me and hope that I hurt
you and not no offense, because that's the way they
make me feeling no offense.

Speaker 2 (50:11):
But you know what I mean.

Speaker 14 (50:12):
But you framed me out and I slammed on the brakes.
I'm sorry they you went through the windshield kind of shit,
you know. I mean, they fucked with me too much.
I want to give him a piece of my mind.
But when it comes to my homegun anytime, I can
give him a piece of my mind.

Speaker 6 (50:24):
Fucking people.

Speaker 14 (50:26):
Hey, when you leave, I hope you wrap your cruiser
around a fucking telephone ball.

Speaker 4 (50:29):
James seems to have a cruel disregard for the police,
perhaps everyone as well, well everyone except maybe this one
FBI agent situation like this.

Speaker 14 (50:43):
I wouldn't normally say this, but you're pretty I was
telling him in the house.

Speaker 6 (50:46):
I said, they're allows.

Speaker 4 (50:49):
Amid the multi agency search of his home, he decided
to hit on the blonde FBI agent hubba hubba.

Speaker 6 (50:58):
You know.

Speaker 14 (50:58):
Yeah, that was one of those work for the But
I'm so much of a criminal. Abody a chance gonna
have your card? Is it because I us in my backyard?
Maybe how about you take my number?

Speaker 31 (51:11):
And probably.

Speaker 14 (51:15):
Mom? I was hitting on her and she told me
to leave me, leave her alone. I was hitting on her,
She told me to leave her alone. I asked her
for her phone number, and she says, and I go, well,
if you don't won't take mine, can I give you mine?

Speaker 1 (51:29):
She's like, I won't call.

Speaker 6 (51:31):
I'm like that with every girl.

Speaker 1 (51:32):
I mean, hey, you know what it is.

Speaker 14 (51:36):
You can't help myself?

Speaker 6 (51:39):
She blushed.

Speaker 4 (51:40):
It he couldn't help himself. He was like that with
every woman he met. In fact, he was so preoccupied
by this woman that the officers had to ask her
to leave.

Speaker 30 (51:53):
Tell this young blonde lady and to stay away because.

Speaker 3 (51:55):
He keep getting the bed.

Speaker 4 (51:57):
Once they had his whole attention, they lit't know why
they were there.

Speaker 6 (52:03):
What's that you said he's got? But he says he's
got me in Arvado forty minutes.

Speaker 3 (52:10):
That's on account for it.

Speaker 30 (52:11):
Well, and that's just to inform you why we're here.

Speaker 3 (52:14):
What brought it here the third time.

Speaker 14 (52:16):
So I'm not a suspect, but you have there's forty
minutes that did't'count for my.

Speaker 3 (52:19):
Brother's that right? Well, well, I'm wanting to talk to
you about it.

Speaker 16 (52:22):
If you're if you're on a bike.

Speaker 14 (52:23):
They're just in town and we're looking.

Speaker 21 (52:24):
For somebody right now at the top.

Speaker 6 (52:26):
You on a bike, and I hope you everything I know?

Speaker 14 (52:28):
Okay, hold time. The forty minutes is exactly how I
said it. If you're trying to remember, make me remember
time now. I don't recall.

Speaker 27 (52:34):
I really don't.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
And that's what's the time.

Speaker 14 (52:37):
It's been some time now. I don't think I couldn't.

Speaker 31 (52:39):
That's why I tried to do it the other day.

Speaker 6 (52:41):
I wish you would.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Why don't you have me write down when you were here?

Speaker 10 (52:43):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (52:44):
I don't remember anything now is what do.

Speaker 14 (52:46):
You recall the second time I came here?

Speaker 1 (52:48):
It was very late at night.

Speaker 16 (52:49):
You're in your box your first time. No, I know,
I had to back up myself in the middle of
my sentence. The first time we come it's late at night.

Speaker 15 (52:56):
We know we pull people out of bed.

Speaker 1 (52:58):
So the next day when I come here, what was
the first thing I said?

Speaker 16 (53:00):
Can we go write all of this down?

Speaker 20 (53:02):
Nope, I'm busy.

Speaker 4 (53:03):
He claimed that he didn't remember specifics now it had
been a long time. Just to clarify, this was July thirtieth,
only six days after April's murder.

Speaker 14 (53:14):
No, going through a town that someone gets murdering does
not make your mother's suspect.

Speaker 6 (53:20):
And we never had have you heard of it?

Speaker 4 (53:23):
Does?

Speaker 15 (53:23):
Well?

Speaker 31 (53:25):
You know what, that's a good point.

Speaker 34 (53:27):
You made a good But at the time this happens, absolutely,
you're right.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
Anybody and everybody could be a suspect.

Speaker 4 (53:34):
Right, anybody and everybody could be a suspect. But not
everyone owned a motorcycle and helmet just like the ones
described by witnesses. Not everyone was wearing clothes that matched
the description. Just James ven Callis was. But they weren't

(53:55):
there just to ask questions. They were there to prove it.

Speaker 15 (54:00):
So where's my bike going day? And she's in my bike?
Ride on my fucking bike today, you're going.

Speaker 6 (54:12):
To get a rescue?

Speaker 3 (54:14):
No, not.

Speaker 1 (54:16):
Gonna get your rescue?

Speaker 4 (54:18):
And when it don't look at Ham, his mother just
wanted to let them do their job. Honestly, he was
protesting way too much. It made it seem like he
had something to hide, and he was hiding something. You see,
the Van Kalis family had a large marijuana grow operation.

(54:42):
This isn't necessarily illegal, as Michigan allows marijuana medically and
allows people to grow their own. You can even grow
plants for other people who have their medical cards. The
problem is you're only allowed to have twelve plants maximum
for each cardholder. That's thirty six plants. The Van Callis

(55:05):
family had fifty two, and I guess the stress of
the situation was getting to them because all they wanted
to do was to take their medicine.

Speaker 14 (55:16):
We're not breaking the laws sold whoever's in church.

Speaker 6 (55:20):
I had it on my If I had a joint
right here, right, we'd let it up right now.

Speaker 14 (55:23):
There's not a damn thing you can say about round
private joint up federal.

Speaker 30 (55:27):
You can say you have a federal one agency here
with this guy.

Speaker 1 (55:30):
But I don't make a ship.

Speaker 6 (55:31):
I don't give a shit.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
We have a well sung on my left.

Speaker 4 (55:34):
Kno, even if your state allows medical or recreational marijuana,
it's still illegal federally. The Van Callis men weren't getting
out of this one unscathed. Both father and son were
arrested on drug charges. The authorities seized his bike and helmet,

(55:55):
along with the clothes he said he was wearing the
day of the murder. They took his pants, his shirt,
and his shoes. The one thing they couldn't find was
his hoodie, which had been accidentally thrown away. The pants
had what might be blood on the cuff, but the

(56:16):
real reason they were there were for his shoes.

Speaker 34 (56:20):
The imprints on the victim's neck were so significant, him
vivid that we felt that if we could find those
shoes that we could match.

Speaker 4 (56:31):
Up whoever killed April stomped on her neck so hard
it left an imprint of the bottom of the shoe.
It was also so hard that it collapsed her airway,
ultimately leading to her death. But when they checked the
shoes that James said he wore that day, they didn't match.

(56:55):
The Van Callists men would remain under police custody under
federal drug charges while the authorities tried to find more
evidence connecting him to April's murder. After the murder of

(57:48):
April millsap on the Macomb Orchard Trail one evening in
July twenty fourteen, the police were looking for a person
on a motorcycle, and the one with the motorcycle was
the last one to see April alive, according to statements
by many witnesses. When they discovered James Van Callis owned

(58:10):
a motorcycle like the one described, they asked him a
few more questions. When he became evasive and hostile. The
authorities got a search warrant for his house. They wanted
to see if the shoes he wore that day matched
the tread pattern found on April's neck. Little did they

(58:31):
know they would discover a large marijuana grow operation. Both
James and his father, Jim were arrested on federal drug charges.
They sat in jail while the authorities tried to build
their case against James. Months would go by and the
police would redo interviews and try to find out as

(58:54):
much as they could, gathering all of the circumstantial evidence.
After serving the search warrant and seizing all of his stuff,
they didn't find anything. They didn't find DNA fingerprints, hair, nothing,
and the shoes he said he wore didn't match the pattern.

(59:18):
So they talked to his father, who seemed a little
too comfortable in his orange jump seat.

Speaker 3 (59:25):
Did Jimmy Udis murdered that earl.

Speaker 14 (59:28):
No, they didn't kill that earl. No, even by accident.

Speaker 19 (59:32):
No, how you know, I don't.

Speaker 14 (59:36):
I don't want my son knowing all.

Speaker 6 (59:38):
My kids he can run on a straight arrow for
the last while, for the last year anyway, because of
a year before leading in prison.

Speaker 4 (59:47):
He didn't think his son was capable of doing such
a thing, you know, because he turned a few new
leaves over or some shit in prison. So the officer
tried to paint a scenario to see if it changed
his mind.

Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
He've got that explosive temper, and maybe something just went
too far that day.

Speaker 6 (01:00:08):
There's a chance encounter. Maybe. You know how Jimmy is
with the lady.

Speaker 4 (01:00:11):
He's a lady man.

Speaker 6 (01:00:13):
Wait, the lady man, the extra cargoon, and so many
rejects him.

Speaker 10 (01:00:17):
He's done.

Speaker 21 (01:00:18):
This is too well, now, that.

Speaker 6 (01:00:19):
Don't happen that way. It don't happen. Well, it's not
it's not like.

Speaker 26 (01:00:24):
You know, he doesn't know the consequences of what would
happen something.

Speaker 3 (01:00:30):
Most are really not you know, people's personality town.

Speaker 6 (01:00:34):
You know, I'm on a lifetime registry.

Speaker 1 (01:00:36):
He knows this.

Speaker 6 (01:00:37):
He's lived with it for the last twenty years, with him,
so he knows.

Speaker 4 (01:00:42):
So you know, his son wouldn't have lost his temper
because he would have never talked to an underage girl.
He knew better. Messing around with little girls leads to trouble.
It was a lesson he learned from his father, a
registered sex offender. Another lesson he earned from his father,
the self profaned asshole, was not to beat women they

(01:01:05):
charged for the.

Speaker 6 (01:01:06):
Whole time that we've done. Whether I do euro up
all time, Yeah, that's why I'm still with her, still
making it up.

Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
Do you think give me your to pick up some
of your.

Speaker 6 (01:01:16):
Bad habage from there? No, he wouldn't be beating up
all the girlfriends.

Speaker 3 (01:01:21):
But you've never seen an be of the show. Friend,
there is no even the girlfriends never said anything.

Speaker 6 (01:01:25):
Nobody ever said anything.

Speaker 4 (01:01:28):
He knew his son and just didn't think he was
capable of murder. He'd been on the straight and narrow
for nearly a year. He went on to support his
claim by saying his son is a thief, not a murderer.
But that's not really a very strong argument. It would
take until October twenty fourteen for the county to finally

(01:01:51):
press charges.

Speaker 25 (01:01:53):
In cooperation with the Armida Police Department, Michigan State Police,
mccon County Sheriff's Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Today
we announced charges against James Donald van Kallis for the
murder of April down Milsap in the city of Armada.

Speaker 4 (01:02:12):
He was charged with first degree premeditated murder for the
amount of time it takes to exphyxiate a person. Surely
he had time to change his mind or call for help.
They also charged him with assault with intent to commit
sexual penetration because it was clear what his intention was

(01:02:35):
before he got interrupted, killed her, and then ran away.
Of course, in all his worldly knowledge from all the
books he read instead of going to college, James pleaded
not guilty and proceeded to trial. In the trial, the
prosecution paraded around witness after witness that placed him on

(01:02:57):
the trail that day. They all saw a different little
piece of the picture. One noticed his clothes, a couple
others noticed his eyes, and one woman saw his face.
All these pieces put together described James. They went over
April's GPS data and created a map of her last movements.

(01:03:21):
They pointed out that all of a sudden, her phone
was moving at twenty two miles an hour. When they
cross reference to the timestamps with local surveillance systems, they
saw a picture of a man on an Enduro motorcycle
that was blue and white. They talked about the shoes

(01:03:41):
they seized and how they didn't match the pattern on
April's neck. They theorized he destroyed the real shoes he
was wearing that day. He said he was wearing a
pair of k Swiss tennis shoes, but the one witness
specifically remembered high tops pictures from social media. Should he
owned a pair of high top Nike air Jordan's flight

(01:04:04):
the power addition, the point is that these particular shoes
match the tread pattern on the victim's neck. I guess
that's the power. They were referring to, the power of
the state att someting to arrest a criminal. They also
talked about the lack of DNA found on the helmet

(01:04:27):
the theorized weapon he used to incapacitate her. It wasn't
that they didn't find April's DNA, it was that they
didn't find any DNA at all. The helmet had obviously
been cleaned inside and now, but their star witness was
James's ex girlfriend Crystal Stapler. She described him as controlling

(01:04:55):
and abusive.

Speaker 28 (01:04:56):
What about if he wanted to use the computer during
the day, I couldn't. Was there a home following it
in there in your portion of the house?

Speaker 27 (01:05:08):
No?

Speaker 6 (01:05:09):
If James was how would you communicate with through.

Speaker 10 (01:05:13):
His mom or dad?

Speaker 6 (01:05:15):
Did James have a phone yes? Did James have a
driver's license yes? Did James have a computer yes? Did
James have a car yes?

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
Did you have a car?

Speaker 10 (01:05:25):
No?

Speaker 6 (01:05:25):
Why not? It wasn't well, but you had the same
with the driver's license. Was he controlling these aspects of
your life?

Speaker 3 (01:05:35):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (01:05:36):
He controlled her to the point that she feared him.
Because of this, she wasn't immediately truthful with police.

Speaker 6 (01:05:43):
Why is it that you're not telling him everything right away?
Why don't you scared up James? Why are you scared
of James?

Speaker 1 (01:05:54):
Because he was abusive, been controlling?

Speaker 6 (01:05:59):
He ever hit you? Yes?

Speaker 4 (01:06:01):
It seemed like he did, in fact pick up Dad's
bad habit. She went on to recall the night April died.

Speaker 6 (01:06:10):
Would you describe how he is dressed when he leaves
the house of a white T shirt with football logos
on it and gray camel pants.

Speaker 1 (01:06:20):
And his black and white shoes.

Speaker 6 (01:06:22):
What type of shoes was he wearing?

Speaker 4 (01:06:27):
Her testimony contradicted James's statement that he wore the case
Swiss shoes, but this wasn't the only damning evidence. She
recalled that when he returned that night, he was acting
normal until he thought she was sleeping.

Speaker 1 (01:06:42):
I wake up and see him cleaning his shoes?

Speaker 6 (01:06:44):
Okay? And what part of the shoe is he cleaning? Okay?
And you ever seen him clean and shoes before?

Speaker 4 (01:06:53):
When she asked why he was cleaning his shoes, he
said because he got oil on him. She didn't question
him further, even though the middle of the night seemed
like a really weird time to be cleaning your shoes.
After that, she never saw those shoes again.

Speaker 32 (01:07:10):
Does he say anything to you when he comes back
to bed, Yeah, that he messed up and he needed
me to stand by.

Speaker 6 (01:07:16):
His side when he first comes back into bed. Has
his demeanor toward you changed?

Speaker 5 (01:07:22):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:07:23):
How is his demeanor now? Love? Was it that way
when the Julie was a bed several hours earlier?

Speaker 10 (01:07:30):
No?

Speaker 6 (01:07:31):
When his move like that changes, what does that means you?

Speaker 22 (01:07:37):
He did something wrong?

Speaker 4 (01:07:38):
While he didn't admit to anything specifically, the timing of
this statement to Crystal was suspicious, but the following day
she found something even more suspicious.

Speaker 6 (01:07:52):
How you asked to wash his clothes?

Speaker 1 (01:07:55):
Yeah, he wanted me to do a little laundry, Okay.

Speaker 27 (01:07:59):
Is that you?

Speaker 4 (01:08:01):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (01:08:02):
Why?

Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
Because he never really wanted.

Speaker 6 (01:08:04):
Me to wash his clothes.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
He wore the same clothes all the time.

Speaker 6 (01:08:07):
What were you ask to wash on the morning of
the twenty five the car.

Speaker 3 (01:08:12):
Hard heading in his pants in that shirt?

Speaker 28 (01:08:15):
Did you find something unusual in the car art jacket
after you washed?

Speaker 10 (01:08:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:08:21):
What was it that you found?

Speaker 3 (01:08:22):
Like wanted up hair and like shavings of grass or
phil like hay.

Speaker 4 (01:08:28):
She didn't recognize the hay as anything from the yard,
and the hair certainly wasn't hers. All of this odd
behavior she kept to herself, Like when James gave his
family instructions, what was he telling to.

Speaker 1 (01:08:43):
Everybody in the house to tell him that he was
wearing case with shoes?

Speaker 6 (01:08:48):
Was he wearing case Swiss.

Speaker 3 (01:08:49):
Shoes that night?

Speaker 4 (01:08:50):
No. Out of fear for James, she wouldn't tell police
any of this until the third interview, when she knew
he was already in jail. All of this information really
cast James in a bad light. But it did fit
the theory that James hit on young April that day
on the trail when she rebuffed his advance, he hit

(01:09:15):
her over the head with his helmet. He dragged her
into the bushes. He started to assault her when Amy
rode by on her bike. He got nervous, abandoned his plan,
stomped her to death, and fled. And just in case
any of the jurors were on the fence about this theory,

(01:09:36):
they read off some of James's Google search history. Here
are just a few excerpts. Do young girls like older men?
Why would this girl say I'm too old for her
and still hit on me? What does it mean when
a girl tells you that she has a boyfriend? How
to have sex with a girl? How to make a

(01:09:59):
g girl who does not want you want you? Notice
the key phrases in all of those searches. He wants
to know how to get a girl, not a woman.
Needless to say, the jurors weren't on the fence at all.

Speaker 32 (01:10:17):
The biggest line of garbage I've ever heard.

Speaker 4 (01:10:20):
The evidence is just overwhelming.

Speaker 32 (01:10:22):
Circumstantial as it may be, it's still overwhelming evidence. Count one,
first degree premeditated murder, we find it offended guilty. Count two,
first degree fell any murder, you find it offended.

Speaker 1 (01:10:38):
Guilty.

Speaker 32 (01:10:40):
Free kidnapping, we find it offended.

Speaker 6 (01:10:43):
Guilty. Count four assault ale.

Speaker 32 (01:10:46):
Intent to commit sexual penetration, we find it offended guilty.

Speaker 4 (01:10:51):
James was found guilty on all counts. He tried to
remain stoic when the verdict was read, but he had
a little eye twitch when he heard the decision. April's
family erupted into celebration as he was led from the court.
At his sentencing, April's mom, Jennifer, gave her statement, I

(01:11:14):
help the.

Speaker 12 (01:11:14):
Rain pierces you like bullets. I help the sun burned
to like fire burnt skin. I help the four walls
closed it on you and Tokyo.

Speaker 3 (01:11:27):
I hope those steal barns are your only friends.

Speaker 33 (01:11:32):
I hope and you close your eyes, you see only
April over and over and over again. You will die
behind those bars alone. I hope that the inmates know
that what you did, because.

Speaker 3 (01:11:50):
I hear the bunishment can be very ugly.

Speaker 12 (01:11:55):
I hope they say all their rage and anger just
for you, you, James, I damn thief.

Speaker 1 (01:12:04):
You're still on beautiful daughtist life. I pity you, and
I hate you, and I can never forgive you.

Speaker 4 (01:12:13):
Her pain was palpable. She thanked the judge and sat down,
sniffing into a tissue. Next, James addressed the court once again,
demonstrating his intelligence or lack thereof.

Speaker 14 (01:12:29):
Well, first off is that there is no evidence that
shows that I've done anything wrong. There is nobody that
can say they've seen me commit any crime. There is
nobody that can id or has id my motorcycle as
being on that trail that day. None of the witnesses
could positively positively identify me. They said that they seen eyes,

(01:12:53):
which is if that's the case, how many people have
eyes that are that shape. This is a sad chain
of events that somehow I'm wrapped up. Then I don't
know how to have an atta family understand that I
don't know her. I've never met her. I I'd never

(01:13:14):
seen her before.

Speaker 4 (01:13:16):
He goes on like this for a while before he
starts complaining about inconsistencies and discovery files.

Speaker 14 (01:13:23):
There's a fraud that's been perpetuated in this case by
whoever put the case together to put it on that
hard drive. My attorney has witnessed. I have brought it
up to my attorney several times. He could testify right here,
right now, if you were to ask him if what
I'm saying is the truth.

Speaker 1 (01:13:41):
The reality is.

Speaker 6 (01:13:43):
I understand that you're on her, but.

Speaker 1 (01:13:45):
Please, I didn't interrupt you.

Speaker 21 (01:13:48):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:49):
The reality is we're here to send you anything you
want to say regarding an appeel.

Speaker 1 (01:13:53):
You can do that as soon as you're done with me.

Speaker 14 (01:13:56):
I'm just asking for emotion for child the noble on
the grounds that time.

Speaker 4 (01:14:01):
This idiot was arguing appellate issues and trying to call
for a mistrial at the sentencing. Does nobody watch law
and order anymore?

Speaker 1 (01:14:11):
Asked to the star of the first degree murder, it
says of the four that you served life in prison
with no chance to parol.

Speaker 4 (01:14:18):
Shortly after his tirade, he was sentenced to life in
prison for first degree murder, another life term for felony murder,
eighteen years and nine months for kidnapping, and six years
and eight months for assault with intent to commit sexual penetration.
I don't think I have to add that up for you,

(01:14:38):
but it's more than necessary. Really, I'm not sure there's
much more you need after life. Immediately following the sentencing,
his mother claimed her son was framed because the authorities
needed to pin it on someone. Yeah, that's how idiots
think the system works. Cops don't work on a quota people.
Maybe prosecutors, but not cops. Later, in a phone interview

(01:15:02):
from prison, James claimed his ex girlfriend was told what
to say on the stand and forced to testify or
else her kids would be taken away. I'm not sure
that CPS does that either, but okay, James whatever. A
couple of years after his incarceration, he would file for appeal,

(01:15:23):
citing a bunch of reasons he probably thought would work.
It was denied. James Donald van Callis remains in prison
to this day. Meanwhile, the village of Armada started to heal.
They built a memorial park for April at the Fulton

(01:15:44):
Street entrance to the trail, and four years after her death,
the high school presented her mother with an honorary diploma.
James van Callis thought he was above the law. He
saw himself as superior. He thought that the law didn't
apply to him. The truth, however, was far from that.

(01:16:09):
He still wasn't paying child support, He controlled many aspects
of his girlfriend's life and manipulated her constantly. He was
growing more than the legally allowed amount of marijuana and
speeding through town on his bike without a motorcycle license.
He was riding on a trail where it wasn't allowed,

(01:16:29):
And all of that could have been forgiven if he
hadn't hit on a fourteen year old girl on a
remote walking trail and then flew into a rage when
she denied him. And in fact, while we're on it,
why hit on a young girl? Why hit on a

(01:16:53):
girl at all if you have a girlfriend at home, Well, James,
that's because you don't give a shit about anyone else's
feelings except your own. You put your desire above and
ahead of anyone and everyone. This pursuit for validation in

(01:17:14):
the eyes of a young girl who was just mining
her own business led to your downfall. Amy interrupted this
baby man, which is the only reason April millsap wasn't
sexually assaulted. In addition to being murdered, James van Callis
was callous, utterly indifferent to the law and to the

(01:17:39):
rules we've agreed upon in society, these rules that we
have because the end of the day, We're all human.
We all make mistakes, we all do things we shouldn't.
At times, we sometimes even break the law. But there
is a distinction. There is a differentiation between us and them,

(01:18:09):
because some of us will get up day after day
after day and even though we know at the end
of the day we'll fail. We will be imperfect, we
will make mistakes, we may even occasionally hurt someone. At
least we tried to put in the effort to be
a better person. At least we're the kind of people

(01:18:34):
that try. Thank you so much for joining us once again.
If you like our show, please go check out our
website and if you could join Plus starts at only
ten dollars a month and it really goes towards helping

(01:18:57):
us produce these. You can find it along with our
merch store with dozens of items that you can find
with a sword Scale branding over at sword and Scale
dot com. Until next time, stay safe, she

Speaker 10 (01:20:03):
M