Insets, top to bottom: Theadra Fleming (GoFundMe) and Ronald S. Fleming (14A District Court).
A 31-year-old man in Michigan is accused of violently killing his own grandmother, allegedly strangling her with his hands until her neck snapped before burying her in the backyard.
Ronald Savoy Fleming is currently facing one count of open murder for the 2024 slaying of 73-year-old Theadra Fleming, court records show.
The case dates back to May 17, 2024, when deputies with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office responded to a request from family members for a welfare check on Theadra Fleming's home in the 1300 block of Warner Street in Ypsilanti Township, which is about 40 miles west of Detroit. Theadra Fleming and Ronald Fleming lived together at the time.
The family told investigators they had not heard from Theadra Fleming for several days, which they said was unusual, Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK reported.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders found Theadra Fleming's grandson, Ronald Fleming, inside — but no sign of the 73-year-old woman.
"I knew something was awry," the suspect's father told the station at the time.
Investigators soon turned their attention to the backyard, where a shovel was reportedly visible next to a mound of disturbed dirt.
"We were all out here looking, praying it can't be this, but then when we looked — it was surreal," he said.
Authorities ultimately discovered Theadra Fleming buried in a shallow grave in the yard. Police said she had been strangled to death, and her grandson was arrested in connection with the killing.
New details about the killing emerged during a preliminary hearing held March 31 at the county district courthouse, where a sheriff's detective testified about the circumstances allegedly surrounding the murder.
"She turned toward [Ronald Fleming] and tried to claw at his face," Detective Heather Morrison testified, according to a report from MLive. "So he grabbed Theadra around the throat with both his hands and strangled her until he felt her neck snap."
Authorities said the defendant told investigators his grandmother had increasingly pressured him to get a job and attend school. Ronald Fleming told investigators his grandmother continued to escalate the tension between them, culminating in Theadra Fleming allegedly approaching him with a knife. The defendant reportedly claimed his grandmother lunged at him before he attacked her in self-defense and then buried her body in the yard.
Investigators said her body was later recovered wrapped in a quilt.
A responding deputy who initially searched the home testified he nearly left before something made him take a second look.
"As I was walking out to my patrol car, God spoke to me and told me, 'Don't. Turn around. She's here,'" he reportedly testified. After recalling the patch of disturbed dirt in the yard, the deputy used the shovel to reveal Theadra Fleming's body. A medical examiner determined the cause of death was strangulation.
Ronald Fleming spent roughly a year undergoing treatment at a state forensic psychiatric center after being found incompetent to stand trial, but was deemed fit to assist in his own defense late last year.
According to a GoFundMe created in the victim's memory, Theadra Fleming was "an avid quilter" and a retired registered nurse who "gave back wholeheartedly to her community by volunteering at nursing homes, schools, and community centers teaching others to quilt."
Ronald Fleming is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to return to court on May 26.
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