Where are Kevin Zieliewski and John Hielscher now? Date line update |All Social Updates

After learning that Thomas and Raymond Highers had been convicted of the murder of Robert Karey, attorney Kevin Zieliewski realized he had no choice but to pursue legal action on their behalf. When Robert was murdered, Kevin was living in Detroit, Michigan, and he recalled that his former roommate, John Hielscher, mentioned being in the area on the night of the tragedy. Kevin also recalled that Robert’s murder had been discussed by John. The audience is guided through the gruesome murder and learns how Kevin and John were involved in the investigation throughout Dateline: Graduation Night. Let’s investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder and see if we can find out where Kevin and John are at the moment, shall we?

Kevin Zielenniewski

Who are Kevin Zieleniewski and John Hielscher?

On June 26, 1987, Robert Karey, a known drug dealer in the city of Detroit, Michigan, was killed with a shotgun. Karey was shot at point-blank range with a shotgun in his own home. During this time, Kevin attended law school in Detroit. He and his roommate at the time, John Hielscher, used to share a room. Kevin found out shortly after Robert’s murder that his roommate had been at the victim’s apartment on the night in question to get some marijuana. This information reached Kevin not long after Robert’s death. However, John explained that just as they were about to ask about the drug, they noticed a group of black people, including two people armed with guns, approaching the back door of the house. John said they decided not to ask about the drug. At this point, they decided to abandon their initial intention of getting drugs and make a hasty exit instead. John and his buddies were trying to escape when they heard two thunderous shotgun blasts. After that there was complete silence. However, neither John nor Kevin reported to authorities what they saw during the original investigation into the murder. Instead, they kept their observations to themselves.

Meanwhile, a third eyewitness named Thomas Culberson came forward and said he saw two white men flee the scene immediately after the murder. A man named Jamie Lawrence came forward and said he overheard someone named Thomas Highers discussing the robbery and murder of Robert Karey. This gave the police another apparent breakthrough in their investigation. Jamie went on to say that both Thomas and his brother, Raymond Highers, owed the victim money, which gave them a motive for the murder. Raymond Highers has been named as the alleged perpetrator of the crime.

As soon as authorities took Thomas and Raymond Highers in for questioning, they both pleaded innocent and claimed they had nothing to do with the incident. However, Thomas Culberson selected Raymond from a photographic lineup and claimed that he was the one visibly observed fleeing the scene. Raymond was the only suspect Culberson was able to identify. As a result, police were able to arrest the Highers’ brother and charge him with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder and possession of a firearm while committing a crime. The testimonies were very clear. After being brought to trial, Thomas and Raymond initially pleaded not guilty, but were ultimately found guilty on all charges. As an immediate result, in 1988 they were each sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for first-degree murder and a few more years for their criminal records. After that, the court would not overturn the convictions, no matter how many petitions or motions were filed against them.

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Where are Kevin Zieliewski and John Hielscher today?

In 2009, Kevin Zieleniewski became involved in the case after reading about the incident in a post on Facebook. The post detailed how Thomas and Raymond were found guilty of the crime. He noted that the two people arrested were white, but he was sure that John, his roommate, had mentioned other gunmen who were black. After that, Kevin called John and tried to persuade him to testify in support of the brother. The episode states that John initially had reservations about testifying, but eventually concluded that he should stand up for what he thought was right. They presented the Highers brothers’ defense attorney with the evidence they had gathered, and that attorney quickly filed a motion for a new trial.

At the hearing for the motion, both John and another individual named James Gianunzio testified that they saw armed black men approach Robert’s door before the shotgun went off. John’s testimony was corroborated by the testimony of another person named James Gianunzio. In the end, based on the testimony, the judge ruled to allow a retrial, and although Tomas and Raymond Highers were released on bail in 2012, prosecutors eventually decided to drop the case in 2013, resulting in them being acquitted of all charges.

Regrettably, John Hielscher has since chosen to live a life of seclusion and has kept a low profile on social media, making it difficult to ascertain his whereabouts at this time. On the other hand, Kevin Zieliewski currently appears to call Washington, District of Columbia home, and he is still in the legal profession. It’s likely that readers will find it interesting to learn that Kevin was even a guest on the show Dateline, where he spoke about his involvement in helping the Highers brothers have their criminal records cleared.

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