By Jim Newell

Review Editor

A former Orion Township man has been charged with first degree murder after allegedly strangling and stabbing his mother, Delora Margaret Roberts, 59, to death and stabbing his uncle on Oct. 20 in a home on Rohr Road in Orion Township.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Garrett Lee Roberts, 29, a resident of Pontiac, after his arraignment.

Roberts was arraigned at 11 a.m. Oct. 23 before Judge Nancy Carniak at the 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills. He was charged on two counts: Premediated First Degree Murder and Assault with Intent to Murder.

Roberts was denied bond.

A probable cause conference was set for 1:15 p.m. Nov. 4, with a preliminary examination scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 12. Roberts did not have an attorney of record as of the arraignment, the sheriff’s office stated in a news update.

Roberts is a 2008 graduate of Lake Orion High School, where he was on the wrestling and football teams, according to a review of Lake Orion High School yearbooks and Lake Orion Review archives.

At 12:26 a.m. on Oct. 20, deputies responded to the home in the 4500 block of Rohr Road after a 911 caller, later identified as the suspect’s uncle, told authorities that he had just been stabbed by his nephew, according to an incident report from OCSO Undersheriff Mike McCabe’s office.

Sheriff’s deputies found Garrett Roberts walking southbound on Rohr Road and took him into custody. According to reports, the suspect had lacerations on his neck and hand and he was “incoherent and sobbing.”

Paramedics from Star EMS responded and provided medical attention.

Upon entering the home where the alleged murder occurred, deputies Delora Roberts lying face down in the living room, bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds, the report stated.

Delora Roberts was taken to McLaren – Oakland Hospital where she died of her injuries.

The sheriff’s office did not release the name of the 60-year-old uncle, who provided authorities with an account of the incident.

The uncle, who was interviewed at the hospital, told sheriff’s office detectives that he was sleeping when the incident started and was awoken by the sound of his nephew attacking Delora Roberts.

When he went into the living room, the uncle said he saw his nephew strangling his Delora with both hands and pulled his nephew away from her.

Garrett Roberts then went into the kitchen, got a knife and returned to confront his uncle, and, after a struggle, stabbed him in the shoulder multiple times, causing deep lacerations, according to the sheriff’s office report.

The uncle managed to get the knife away from the suspect and then ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911. He later told detectives that he could hear his sister screaming from the neighbor’s home.

About five minutes after that, the man told detectives he saw his nephew walking southbound on Rohr Road “covered in blood and crying.”

Deputies also found a second knife covered in blood at the scene. The Oakland County Forensics Lab responded to process the crime scene, and the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office was notified.

Sheriff’s office detectives are continuing the investigation, according to the incident report.

Garrett Roberts was treated at an area hospital for his injuries, where it was learned that the injury to his neck was self-inflicted. He was released from the hospital and lodged at the Oakland County Jail.

The case was presented to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday for review and charging decisions, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office also released information on Garrett Robert’s criminal history, which includes malicious destruction of property, drug possession and a sex offense.

• In June 2013, Garrett Roberts received felony probation for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Nashville, Tennessee for an incident in April 2013.

• In August 2014, Roberts was charged with felony malicious destruction of property and pled no contest in the 52/2 District Court in Oakland County to a misdemeanor attempt to resist and obstruct police.

• Roberts was also charged with felony invasion of privacy, pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure; charged with felony sex offense, pleading no contest to a charge of breaking and entering illegal entry without permission; and charged with felony obstructing police, pleading no contest to misdemeanor destruction of property, all out of the 52-2 District Court in July 2014.