US News

Cold-case murder suspect Chadwick Mobley arrested after escaping custody

A MichšŸ“igan cold-case murder suspect who escaped from custody Sunday was rearrestešŸ“d in Montana on Monday evening after over 30 hours on the run.

Chadwick Shane Mobley, 42, was taken into custody around 6:10 p.m. in Plains, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office .

Mobley’s taste of freedom came after he slipped out of his handcuffs and ankle shackles at a Plains gas station as he was being transported to his arraignment by a private company under contract with the US Marshals Service.

Authorities had not revealed how Mobley ļæ½š“†ļæ½was able to escape from the restraints.

Residents in the small mountain town were asked to remain on high alert and spotted the suspected killer on a riverside road before calšŸ™ˆling police, according to ą½§officials.

Mobley was first arrested inꦚ Libby, Mont., on Juną¼’e 28 after DNA evidence linked him to the 2011 shooting death of Andrea Eilber, 20, in Mayfield Township, Mich.

He had been living in Utah but fled to Big Sky Country after investigators questioned him about a discarded cigarette butt šŸøwith his genetic material at the crime s꧟cene, .

Chadwick Shane Mobley.
Mobley is facing a felony murder charge for the 2011 murder. Utah Department of Public Safety

It is unclear how he may hav♓e been connected to the victim, who was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head ✃at a relative’s home on Nov. 14, 2011, .

News of Mobley’s arrest is a special relief for Eilber’s boyfriend, Kenneth Carl ā€œKCā€ Grondin, now 31, who was convicted of first-degree murder in his girlfriend’s death and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2015, the outlet noted.

Grondin’s conviction was overturned in 2018, and he has been under house arre🄃st while await🌜ing a new trial set to take place next year.

A white 2013 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with Utah plates.
At the time of his first arrest, Mobley was seen driving a white 2013 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with Utah plates. Utah Department of Public Safety

While it is unclear š“‚ƒif there is any connectio🐻n between Mobley and Grondin, the latter’s supporters say the Montana arrest is further proof of his innocence.

ā€œI’m glad [Mobley] was arrested. I hope they bring him back, and I hope he talks to identify the otherź§’ people we think were involved,ā€ Carl Grondin Sr., KC’s grandfather, told the newspaper.

In addition to the DNA evišŸ”Ædence, authorities are believed to have found a firearm in Mobley’s possession that matches the bullet found in Eilber’s skull, the outlet said, citing court documents. 

Grondin’s attorney, Brian Lꦚegghio, previously slammed the Michigan State Police for not reanalyzing the DNA earlier.

ā€œIn 2012 the Michigan State Police identified DNA on this cigarette butt, determined it came from a male and they conclusively excluded KC Grondin as the contribšŸ€…utor. The State Police, however, never submitted it for further testing until KC Grondin’s defense team šŸ¦‚began demanding genealogy testing in 2019,ā€ he alleged.

ā€œHad MSP submitted it sooner, Anš“„§drea’s murderer would have been identified and apprehenšŸ°ded much sooner.

ā€œā€¦ KC Grondin has always been innocent. The MSP’s failure to test the evidenšŸ§”ce they possessed since 2011 robbed KC Grondin, a then young University of Michigan student, of a bright future and of all that he could havšŸ¦‚e lived and could have been.ā€

The Sanders County Sheriff’s Office in its own statement thanked all of the authorities and locals who h🐲elped apprehend Mobley.

ā€œGreat work by all, together we made a difference! Not just for our community, but for the victims of the crimes he is suspected of, and being charged w🌌ith,ā€ the post readšŸŽ.