MUSKEGON, Mich. – A Muskegon County judge has lowered the bail for the man accused of helping his cousin dispose of the body of Jessica Heeringa.
Kevin Bluhm is accused of being an accessory in the murder of Heeringa who was last seen at her job as a gas station clerk in April of 2013. Her body has still not yet been found. Jeffrey Willis, Bluhm’s cousin, is accused of her murder, as well as the murder of another woman, Rebekah Bletsch, in 2014.
Prosecutor DJ Hilson tells FOX 17 that Judge William Marietti reduced Bluhm’s bond from $250,000 to $150,000 Friday morning. If Bluhm posts bail, he’d be released with a GPS tether.
Matt Roberts, the chief trial attorney for the Muskegon County Prosecutor’s office, tells FOX 17 he argued against the lowering of the bond because Bluhm could possibly tamper with evidence in the case, especially since Heeringa’s body has not been found.
Bluhm’s defense had requested the bond change because of Bluhm’s lack of criminal history and Bluhm’s employment history with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Bluhm’s attorney also said that he’s been away from his family, who live in Muskegon Township, for a long time. The judge pointed out that Bluhm has already been convicted of lying to police during the Heeringa and Bletsch investigations.
There was no word if Bluhm had yet posted bail.
