Tonya Jo Goble-Studer was 23 when she and her mother, Vicki Dewey, were shot to death at their Chikaming Township home near Union Pier, Michigan, in the spring of 2006. Tonya had moved in with her mother and stepfather, bringing her two children after leaving a volatile, abusive marriage. On April 28, 2006, she made a frantic 911 call from a nearby school saying she feared Gary Studer was going to kill her; police did not intervene in time.

Gary Studer tracked Tonya to the residence, and officers arriving later found Tonya and Vicki dead and Studer covered in blood in the presence of his two young children. He was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree home invasion, and felony firearm counts. At trial the prosecution played Tonya’s 911 call; the defense argued intoxication, drugs and a prior severe brain injury left Studer unable to control his actions, but a Berrien County jury convicted him on all counts.

The case prompted a change in 911 dispatch policy tied to how domestic violence calls were handled. If anyone knew Tonya or Vicki, or has information about the events that night, please come forward.