BATTLE CREEK, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – Murder charges against 39-year-old Ernest McGill were dropped during a Calhoun County District Court preliminary examination on Tuesday as the prosecution was unable to produce a key witness
McGill was charged in connection with the June shooting death of 24-year-old Eniyah Hollins as she was attending a party on Hanover Street.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports Calhoun County District Judge Paul Beardslee dismissed charges against McGill after Assistant Prosecutor Steve Livingston told the judge, “The key witness we need was not subpoenaed. We have made significant efforts to try and contact this person but have had severe difficulty making contact and trying to get this person to appear.”
The Enquirer went on to report that while Beardslee said there was not good cause to allow further delays, the charges could be renewed.
McGill is not a free man. The Enquirer reports he is still serving a one year sentence in the Calhoun County Jail for possession of cocaine.
The gunfire that took her life may have been connected to an earlier shooting at #1 Legends Bar and Grill. Investigators don’t think she was the intended target.