Lawyer says woman is innocent of murdering husband on Valentine's Day

By Madison Bennett | MLive

KALAMAZOO, MI - A woman jailed for the shooting death of her husband on Valentine's Day was denied bond at her first court appearance Thursday.

Her attorney, meanwhile, said he believes she will ultimately be acquitted.

Janel Boer, 43, appeared via video from the Kalamazoo County Jail on Thursday afternoon, March 2, for a hearing in Kalamazoo County District Court. She was arraigned on open murder and felony firearm charges for allegedly shooting and killing her husband, Gregory Boer, 35.

Deputies on Feb. 14 responded to a report of a man with a gunshot wound in the 9400 block of South 36th Street in Scotts, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office. Gregory Boer was pronounced dead at the scene and Janel Boer, who had called to report the shooting, also had an apparent gunshot wound, Undersheriff Pali Matyas said.

Matyas declined to discuss specifics of the investigation, but Janel Boer became a suspect and was arrested March 1.

Neither authorities nor Boer's attorney, Randall Levine, would comment on her injuries, but Levine described her relationship with her husband as "volatile" and said their marriage was "fraught with difficulty."

"She's a fine woman and a good employee of the post office," Levine said. "She's looking forward to the evidence that will be presented in the courtroom so that ultimately, she will be vindicated."

A preliminary examination is scheduled for March 22, after which a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence against Boer to bind her case over for trial in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court.

Levine said he believes evidence will show an "alternative explanation" for what happened in the Boer home in rural, eastern Kalamazoo County on Valentine's Day.

At the arraignment, Kalamazoo County District Court Judge Anne E. Blatchford denied bond for Boer, despite Levine's efforts to persuade the judge to set a bond. Boer has a 4-year-old child, with whom she has visitation rights, he said.

"She deserves to be free as soon as possible," her attorney said.

This post originally appeared March 3, 2017 on MLive.com.