‘Our Nightmare Is Over’: Murder Suspect Apprehended

WARREN, MI — Anthony Iannotti, the suspect in the brutal murder of a Warren grandmother was apprehended Wednesday morning while attempting to break into a Shelby Township home, according to media reports.

“I’m happy to say that what I would call our nightmare is over,” Warren Mayor Jim Fouts told The Detroit News.

The Shelby Township resident was home when Iannotti allegedly tried to break into the home shortly before 9 a.m. and called police, Fouts said.

Iannotti, 34, is accused in the beating death of Dona Lawrence, 62, whose body was discovered Aug. 10 after neighbors reported a man had broken into her residence. The homeowner and her 2½-year-old son hid in the bathroom and called 911, the homeowner told the Shelby Township Police Department, The Macomb Daily said.

“I obviously praise her for quick thinking,” Fouts said. “It could have been a tragic situation for her.”

Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith authorized multiple charges against Iannotti on Monday: first-degree homicide, a life felony; felony murder homicide, a life felony; unlawful driving away of an automobile, a five-year felony; and larceny in a building, a four-year felony.

Iannotti had been in custody in connection with an alleged attempt to strangle his ex-wife, Cassandra Hokanson, but posted bond on Aug. 10. He is accused of murdering Lawrence the same day.

“The community can relax now,” Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide told The Macomb Daily. “If you just look at his record alone, it’s appalling that he (was) on the street.”

Fouts told The Detroit News Iannotti is in custody at the Warren jail pending his Wednesday arraignment on the charges filed in Lawrence’s murder.

“He will be in our custody for the foreseeable future and I’m very happy about that,” the mayor said. “It would have only been a matter of time before he took another innocent life. He has a violent temper. He’s a dangerous person.”

Michigan Department of Corrections records indicate that Iannotti has a history of fits of rage, and also has a lengthy criminal history, which include convictions for assault with intent to do great harm, aggravated stalking and fleeing police.

The search for Iannotti intensified Monday when the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Macomb County Violent Crimes Task Force joined Warren police in the dragnet.

Image: Warren Police Department