10 Year Old Cold Case Murder Near Coldwater Closed

Authorities are now saying that a man killed in an officer-involved shooting in Branch County last year is their main suspect in a murder from a decade ago.

The Coldwater Daily Reporter says that in May of 2009, Duane Finney was found shot dead in his car that was parked near his home south of Coldwater; the case say cold for several years, and while several people were interviewed no suspects were identified or arrested. Now, on Wednesday, the Michigan State Police say that David Kidney was likely the person who killed Finney; David Kidney had been a person of interest, and when he stopped interacting with investigators they went to execute a search warrant at his home near Union City in January 2018.

That led to a shootout between Kidney and troopers, which left two troopers injured and Kidney dead. The MSP says that evidence recovered from Kidney’s residence, including a 9mm handgun, tied him to Finney’s murder.

Investigators say that the suspect and victim had a long-running dispute.

Police say that the case technically remains open because Kidney can’t be convicted due to his death, but they say it will no longer be actively investigated.