Plea Reached In 1997 Homicide Case Of 88-Year-Old Michigan Woman

DECEMBER 7 2022- The man authorities arrested in November 2021 in connection with a 25-year-old unsolved homicide has pleaded guilty in the case. 

Michael Adam Bur was scheduled to stand trial in early 2023 on charges of felony murder, kidnapping, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the 1997 death of 88-year-old Mary Prieur of Lennon. 

But Bur, 42, appeared before Genesee County Circuit Judge David J. Newblatt on Monday, December 5, and pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. 

Over the years, billboards have gone up and door hangers placed on homes in the community, as well as police finding DNA that confirmed Prieur was sexually assaulted prior to her death. 

Prieur was known as a staple in the Lennon community who was often seen walking her dog Pookie while on the way to grab some food at a local bar, according to prior reporting. She was a regular attendee at multiple churches including St. Mary's in Swartz Creek and St. Robert in Flushing. 

Community members rallied after Prieur's murder, putting together a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the responsible person or persons. 

The money was eventually returned to those who donated after no arrest took place within a few months' time. 

A native of Czechoslovakia, Prieur came to the United States when she was eight years old, according to Journal records. 

Bur was arrested on November 10, 2021, at his home in Lennon, close to Prieur's home.

Bur would have grown up in Prieur's neighborhood, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson previously said. He was in 11th grade at the time of her murder. 

The sheriff said his department has followed up leads around the nation, reports, and evidence to solve the case. 

Swanson said police were able to develop a lead based on DNA that placed Bur at the scene of the crime in 1998. 

Bur's pleas deal includes a sentence agreement stipulating that Bur serve a mandatory minimum of at least 10-20 years in prison. 

The agreement was approved after the Genesee County Sheriff's Office consulted with the victim's family in the case, court records show. 

Bur will be required to face mandatory lifetime electronic monitoring and be registered as a sex offender for life. 

The pleas is a Killibrew Agreement, which calls for a specific sentence. If Newblatt at sentencing declines to follow the agreement, Bur has a right to withdraw his plea and pursue a trial. 

He will remain in the custody of the sheriff's office until his sentencing date, which has yet to be scheduled.