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Inset: Kemaree Davis (Muskegon Juvenile Detention Center). Background: The area in Michigan where Davis allegedly killed a 73-year-old man (Google Maps).
A Michigan teenager, aged 16, stands accused of fatally shooting a 73-year-old man during a home robbery. The suspect, Kemaree Davis, allegedly texted a friend shortly after the incident, claiming the “old man was dead” and that he witnessed the victim “gasp his last breath.” Davis is being tried as an adult, facing charges of open murder and armed robbery for the December killing of Thomas Stewart, as documented in court records.
As detailed in a official news release from the City of Muskegon, on the morning of December 1, 2025, officers from the city’s Department of Public Safety responded to a shooting call at a residence on the 1400 block of Jiroch Street, located approximately 200 miles northwest of Detroit. Upon arrival, they found Stewart inside the home with a gunshot wound to his upper body, and he was declared dead on the spot.
Stewart’s wallet was discovered near his body, with his pockets turned inside out, indicating a robbery.
Authorities revealed that Davis, apprehended a week after the incident, was familiar with Stewart and had entered the home with the intention to rob him.
“I do believe Mr. Stewart knew a lot of people in his neighborhood, was friendly with a lot of people in his neighborhood, was helpful to a lot of people, so we don’t know what the nexus actually was,” Muskegon Public Safety Director Tim Kozal said during a December news briefing. “From our investigation we believe those were the only two individuals inside the house. We believe that the intent of the individual that was there with Mr. Stewart was to rob him.”
In addition to Davis, a 17-year-old accomplice was also detained and charged with weapon possession related to Stewart’s death.
Prosecutors say evidence in the case, including witness testimony, text messages, and investigative findings, all link Davis to the crime.
Court testimony has focused heavily on the alleged text messages Davis sent after the killing, according to a report from MLive. Some of that evidence was revealed Thursday during Davis’ preliminary examination.
A detective reportedly testified that about an hour after he allegedly shot Stewart, Davis sent his friend a text message relaying what had just happened, writing, “The old man is dead. Bro, I watched him gasp his last breath.”
The recipient of that message is the 17-year-old who is also charged in connection with the robbery gone wrong, authorities said. Investigators said they obtained surveillance footage showing Davis and the 17-year-old meeting outside of Muskegon High School on the morning of the shooting and walking in the direction of Stewart’s home.
In an interview with police following his arrest, Davis allegedly confessed to killing Stewart, reportedly saying Stewart saw him inside the home and gave him $20. He claimed the gun “went off” during the robbery, killing Stewart. Afterward, Davis allegedly said he took an additional $20 from Stewart’s wallet.
The 17-year-old suspect also testified during Thursday’s hearing, reportedly providing a version of events that conflicted with investigators’ accounts. The teen also claimed he did not remember meeting up with Davis and did not know about several social media accounts linked to his cellphone.
Following the hearing, the 17-year-old was arrested for perjury, MLive reported.