Murder, Sexual Assault Charges Filed in Armada Teen's Death

James D. VanCallis attempted to sexually assault April Millsap before he bludgeoned and strangled the 14-year-old Armada teen last July, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said in a news conference Wednesday.

VanCallis, 32, of Wales Township, will be arraigned at 9 a.m. Thursday in Romeo District Court on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder, and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Related:

• Police Release Sketch of Person of Interest in Armada Teen’s Murder
• Report: Armada Teen Died of Blunt Head Trauma, Asphyxia
• April Millsap May Have Been Targeted for Sexual Assault
• Man Jailed for Pot Plants ‘Person of Interest’ in Armada Teen’s Murder

VanCallis is being held in the St. Clair County Jail after he and his father, 66-year-old James Bernard VanCallis, were arrested in August on marijuana charges and will appear in court on those next week.

At the time of their arrest, VanCallis was named a “person of interest” in Millsap’s murder. At the news conference, Smith said physical, eyewitness and electronic evidence “placeVanCallis at the scene of the murder with the victim at the time of the murder.”

Investigators received more than 1,000 tips in their investigation of the teen’s death. Her body was found by two joggers along the Macomb Orchard Trail in Armada after Millsap’s dog, Penny, led them to her body.

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Photo: James D. VanCallis, Michigan State Police