Andrew McCormack, 54, faces a second decade behind bars after a Kalamazoo jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the 2022 stabbing death of 53-year-old James Travis.
McCormack is already serving a decade-long prison sentence in Jackson for a Calhoun County home invasion conviction. He was acquitted on a second-degree arson charge related to the same case.
The killing took place on June 18, 2022, at a home on Shakespeare Avenue in Kalamazoo Township. When police arrived around 8:30 p.m., investigators found Travis had been stabbed multiple times and a fire had been intentionally set inside the home.
Dollar bills, a wrench, and a knife covered in blood were found near his body, according to police. Medical examiners determined Travis died from multiple sharp force injuries.
Charges against McCormack and his co-defendant Shawna Kroeger came approximately six months after Travis's death. Kroeger was sentenced one year ago to 18-to-30 years in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder and arson.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting told News Channel 3 there has been a desire to close the case against McCormack for years but cited several obstacles.
"There were several different attorneys that were assigned and then withdrew," Getting said.
"There were delays caused by having him evaluated to ensure that he was competent to stand trial."
"This isn't like what people see on TV...on CSI or other shows, where you can take a piece of evidence and submit it to a crime lab and have an answer in 30 minutes."
Michigan State Police crime lab backlogs and competency evaluations contributed to the nearly four-year delay in bringing McCormack to trial.
McCormack is scheduled to be sentenced in April before Kalamazoo County Judge Bridenstine.
The case highlights the challenges Michigan courts face when trying to close old cases that involve multiple defendants and lengthy investigations.