he said I'm going to kill you and I'm
going to kill your daughter and I'm
going to kill your grandkids if he does
not stay away from me we're both going
to go up there have you ever blown in a
a PBT yeah I have one at home do you cuz
I go to AA next time I see him you're
going to be looking at me for a murder
conviction we shouldn't do that Decades
of animosity between two retired
neighbors boils over into coldblooded
assault but the reason behind this
brutal crime will leave you chilled to
the bone on the evening of September
29th 2023 in rural mwan Michigan Deputy
Gabe Weekley finds himself responding to
a report of an assault the details are
hazy but according to dispatch an
elderly man was attacked by a
belligerent neighbor while chopping
firewood on his own property Deputy
Weekley is determined to mediate in this
situation but he has no idea what kind
of sadistic tragedy he's getting getting
involved in driving through the remote
Michigan Back Country officer weekly
encounters the victim 79-year-old
William cracker hobbling near his
tractor first off what what happened out
here tonight well you want to go over
and show you where it happened my
tractor well I just need to know what
happened what happened well I unless
there's some kind of evidence there
marks on the ground maybe he's okay and
I lost my hat there anyway I just shook
my chainsaw off cuz it's getting dark
and I didn't hear come up to me he
grabbed me by his left shoulder and
swung me around his first hit I think
was here and then I went down on the
ground and I crawl under the little bit
under the back of my tractor to keep him
from hitting me much more cuz he wasn't
hitting me in the body he was just
trying to hit me in the head and in the
shoulders okay and he kept pulling me
out is there a a history of Bad Blood
between you two or yes okay but I
haven't even spoke to him in probably 3
four years there was no explanation like
mad at you for cutting or making no my
chainsaw so damn quiet but no he didn't
say that no we've had trouble before he
told me before he can't wait till he
sees I'm dead the motive for this
senseless attack is proving to be
elusive Deputy Weekley is going to have
to dive deeper to make sense of this
bizarre incident once inside officer
Weekley remembers to document Williams
injuries a cut on his face a large
laceration to his left bicep and a
hematoma on the top of his head despite
being shaken up William is physically
stable and declining the offer to be
taken to the hospital apparently the
incident began over the innocent Act of
cutting wood I cut this morning for
maybe 45 minutes so you were cut for
about 45 minutes You' shut your chainsaw
off I just shut it off Bally a second
before he grabbed my shoulder and spun
me around okay you never seen him coming
no never seen he just grabbed you by
your left shoulder and then spun you
around and said I'm going to kill you
okay he said he's going to kill you as
he was hitting me he said I'm going to
kill you you and I'm going to kill your
daughter and I'm going to kill your
grandkids but there was no other
conversation no just grabbed you turned
around and just started beating on you
and hit you approximately 25 to 30 times
yeah and during while he was hitting you
is what you're saying that he was saying
he was going to kill you and hurt your
family and stuff you kill me kill my
daughter and kill he that's the words he
used kill what happened after he stopped
did he stay there or did he just take
off he just let let go of me stood up
and walked away walked back in his were
you fighting back with him at all I
never stuck back at all I was just
trying to defend you were just trying to
defend yourself and get under the
tractor yeah Williams Menace of a
neighbor is 58-year-old Gregory Charles
Miller as Deputy weekly learns he's
pretty big guy he's about four or five
Ines taller than me and not weighs me
probably 60 80 pounds according to
William the two neighbors have had
property disputes for years Gregory had
recently constructed a privacy wall on
the edge of his property as a passive
aggressive way to say stay away but it's
still unclear what incident tonight had
ignited such an animalistic Fury he has
a temper problem so and you guys have
had multiple other incidents with him no
we we've had call the sheriff and state
police told me that if he comes over
here does anything more again tonight
that he will go to jail Deputy Weekley
has a final question to ask and the
answer William gives will take this
dispute to the next level well I'm going
to ask you this I mean I I'm pretty sure
I know where you want to go with this
but do you want to press charges again
him yes I will this time yep yeah cuz if
not this keeps escalating I mean this is
bad pretty sure he's got a shotgun he
used to have he used to shoot once in a
while with Gregory potentially armed
Deputy Weekley must proceed with the
utmost caution in the middle of the
woods in Pitch darkness and without
backup he's alone and exposed the house
is darkened as Gregory fled the scene
then investigating the back patio the
Bad Neighbor reveals himself hi Greg
hi how you doing sir um okay angry come
in all right I want you we'll just stay
out here and talk for a second oh um I
have a small dog he's right here oh jeez
you want to put him back in first yes
all right at first Gregory seems
Cooperative even friendly but the more
he talks the more it seems clear that
something is off I already know why
you're here but you want to come in
no I just I'll stand outside and talk
with you so what started this tonight
good question uh neighbor is always
making noise over next to my house I'm
tired of it we don't get along it's been
going on for well since I moved in here
Gregory's grievances tumble out in
Meandering fragments but Deputy weekly
starts putting the pieces together it
seems that Gregory has harbored a
deep-seated hatred of William that goes
back decades but as far as tonight what
what what made you go over there
and I would say he's always doing things
to annoy me which will go on forever I
mean I moved in here he was already here
him and his wife we've had property line
disputes and he he just likes to be
right up in my business I think he likes
to annoy me and I would tell a judge
this but the events the events tonight
let's stay on that path oh okay
um it is right there
just in the middle of the night just
before dark running his chainsaw and um
I take it personally because the man has
18 Acres he could he could chop all
kinds of trees down he does not like me
we hate each other hate each other we're
veering off the path of tonight though
okay okay um we hate each other and I
punched him in the face okay so did you
talk did you talk to him at first did
you guys have a conversation or did you
just go over grab a hold of him turn him
around and start beating no no um no we
do not speak okay we do not speak so you
didn't you didn't speak at all you just
walked up grabbed him um no we do speak
but this has been going on for 20 years
I hate him he hates me okay that's why
there's offense there okay but I'm
talking now we're veering off that path
again Gregory's previous complaints are
well and good but it seems that
something has sent him over the edge on
this night Deputy weekly focuses on the
events that have unfolded in an attempt
to find a motive he can come right up
and cut every blade of grass right up to
your line he can make as much noise he
can do whatever there's no noise
ordinance there's nothing he can do
whatever he wants on his property okay
can I so yeah you can too as long as
you're on your property can I put up a
stereo and and play rap
music Bo just drive him nuts if you want
to be one of those guys I don't and deal
with it but that's how I feel
Deputy that's how I feel like could I
put up a fan could I start a bonfire the
thing is is you already put up a fence
you put up a fence he was on his side of
the fence tonight right yes and you
walked around your fence yes and you
walked up and you grabbed him by the
shoulder turned him around mhm and you
started smoking him right how how many
times did you hit him 25 30 times maybe
no oh probably five or six like you're
not even supposed to hit your neighbor
once okay look I hate the guy I want him
to die I'm trying to was your attempt
was your attempt tonight to kill him no
I just want him to stop he I know he's
screwing with me so I'm going to pull up
my car tomorrow let's say tomorrow and
I'm going to blast out some rap music as
loud as I can with my speakers okay and
I'm just going to blast it at his house
he probably would not like that we
basically hate each other he wants me to
die I know he does I want him to die but
I can't do so as far as
canally how can I kill here we've you
can't other than outlive him you can't
this is a strange thing to mention Greg
is more than 20 years younger than his
arch nemesis William why would he fear
that William wouldn't outlive him
suddenly It all becomes clear when he
spills his guts and makes a shocking
personal revelation
I'm tired of it and I told him okay so
I'm retired okay I have no children he
has kids he has grandkids I told them I
know you see this on TV all the time I
will take them okay what okay okay so
you're saying okay like stop doing this
you got 18
Acres you're doing this so he's
aggravating agitating me I know you know
how this goes you it's a property
dispute I have prostate cancer when I go
guess who's going to go with
me guess who's going to go with me I'm
going to die of cancer anyway so I'm not
trying to put words in your mouth but is
that where some of this is coming from
tonight so you've got prostate cancer
and you figured I'm going to go over and
put an end to this tonight and you went
over there not yet not yet I I would
like him to stop what was going on what
was he angry about you he's just upset
because he said he found out he's got
prostrate cancer and he's going to die H
he found out what he's got prostrate
cancer and he's going to die oh that was
the only thing that he really said to me
other than I'm going to kill you and
your your daughters y okay so he's got
pros he repeated that three times that
he was going to kill me going to kill my
daughter he's going to kill my grandkids
cuz I got prostrate cancer and I'm going
to die okay wow I just I just found out
I got prostrate cancer now the night's
events are making a lot more sense and
an ex existential rage fueled by booze
Greg wanted to lash out against the
world so he took out all that rage on
his elderly neighbor I would like him to
stay away from me if he does not stay
away from me we're both going to go up
there okay are so are you threatening
him at this point Gregory's direct
threats on Williams life are ramping up
and becoming more deranged officer
Weekley has no choice but to arrest him
so Greg at this point right now what I'm
going to do is I want you to turn around
put your hands behind your back for me I
want you interlace your fingers
interlace your fingers like you're
praying Greg how much have you had to
drink tonight uh let see enough how much
would you say is
enough five six shot five or six shot
but I know you guys double it so no we
don't double nothing it is what it is
well sometimes I think if I take him
with me what's that I have prostate
cancer do you yeah if I take him what
are you going to do why are you going to
take him oh cuz I'm going to die anyway
okay yeah and so take him yeah that's
what I wanted him to know okay yeah yeah
and actually after you let me go a
little bit further right there after you
let me go now I'm really mad so I might
just go ahead and take him okay okay oh
jeez go ahead and put your butt in there
and swing your feet in that's easiest
way to do it anyway next time I see you
I'll probably be in a coffin and so will
he which I'm planning on will you lock
the back door please yes I told you I'm
going to go back and lock lock the door
okay thank you I appreciate it I care
more about the dog than I do
myself Deputy weekly prepares a
breathalyzer test to take Greg's blood
alcohol level unsurprisingly Greg is
already very familiar with these uhoh
what did I do have you ever blown in a a
PBT yeah I have one at home yeah cuz I
go to AA okay I go I go to group therapy
how long have you been going with that
oh I'm totally like um 8 months I'm sure
I'm going to blow whatever I'm just
going to be honest with you all right
GRE so what I want you to do so I want
you to take a deep breath yes okay I
know I'll hold on to this and just blow
okay ready yes take a deep breath
ready
okay what does it say we're going to
find out here in a second oh yeah my
wife bought one cuz I'm an alcoholic
okay you're a 0254 right now what's that
you're
0.25 that's high what does that mean
well that's way over the legal limit to
drive however you're at you're at your
residence okay there's nothing against
you drinking at your house other than
are you on probation no you're just an
AA I'm just an alcoholic okay angry okay
okay while the results of the test may
seem irrelevant given that Greg is at
his residence and claims that he doesn't
intend to drive it's important to
establish his intoxication as fact
especially if the case were to go to
trial in the future the prosecution
would need evidence to establish that
Greg was under the influence of alcohol
at the time of the
incident wait did you lock the back door
I'm going to do it I'm going to pull up
there so that you can see me do it thank
you I want you to watch me do it oh I
care more about the do them myself with
his fate becoming more certain Greg
realizes he might have gone overboard in
his drunken rambling you wear a body
camera you have to record everything
everything like that I say yes my body
camera's on and it recorded everything
that's cool I think it's a good thing so
what shift do you work sorry I'm talking
too much sorry never mind I used to work
3:00 to 11: I
retired just talk one time the state
cops gave to my house those guys have 80
M square area the state state guys 80 80
oh they have a huge area not just a
county like multiple County does that
make
sense yeah never
mind I'm talking
to so WD weekly if I hadn't entered the
door what would you have done I got
other ways to figure that out yeah all
right I got it okay if I hadn't been
there if I just took off in my car you
wouldn't have know you would have kicked
in the door then would have found nobody
then you come find me
tomorrow or the next day H I know how it
go can I ask how long you've been
working here a little over a year and a
half a what little over a year and a
half here
CR can you open your receiving door
please do you get a pension retirement
well yeah okay good me too I thought you
were retired I am retired I worked as a
janitor for 32
years cleaning up after how how old are
you now I'm I'm I'm coming up on 59 59
I'm going to be 59 have you ever been to
vaning county jail for anything no okay
no I haven't been arrested for 30 30
over 30 years Big Rapids I got caught
for drunk driving that was not fun
Gregory isn't finished with his Antics
he saved some for Van Bean County Jail
investigators alcohol
is25 all these
gentlemen listen to
them right not up to me sir sorry sorry
it seems he feels Invincible but he
sounds utterly dered Mr Miller what
brings you in today I got in a fight
with my neighbor oh man punch his ass
out next time I see him you're going to
looking at me for a murder
conviction we shouldn't do that Gregory
Charles Miller was charged with intent
to do great bodily harm less than murder
in addition to assault with intent to
murder his bond was set at $1 million on
November 27th 2023 Gregory pleaded
guilty to assault with intent to commit
great bodily harm less than murder the
charge of assault with intent to murder
was dismissed and his sentencing is
scheduled for late January of 2024
William cracker checked himself into the
hospital a few hours after his interview
with Deputy Weekley his injuries were
minor and he was released without
complications Gregory's cancer prognosis
is unknown at this time