Michigan Homeless Man Brutally Murdered With Sledgehammers

A hunter found the body of a man in a Van Buren County field at the beginning of November 2022, which would lead to a shocking and startling investigation. This body would turn out to be a murder victim and not some tragic accident. The deceased would later be identified as Lashaun Keith who was just 33 years old.

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Keith was a homeless man in Kalamazoo who was known to frequent in the area around the I-94 and Sprinkle Road interchange where he had been living under one of the bridges. It's unfortunate that his home would quickly turn into the crime scene of his death too.

Zachary S. Trainor and Bryan C. Wimbley were construction workers who were working on bridge repairs in the area when they first encountered Keith. Wimbley is cited saying that Keith was “antagonistic” toward himself and other workers during their shifts. This would eventually be the motive for their actions down the road.

On Halloween night in 2022, Trainor and Wimbley had been out drinking when they decided to go find Keith and "teach him a lesson". They proceeded to the bridge where they had been working and found Keith sleeping.

They then woke him up out of his sleep and brutally beat him to death with hand sledgehammers. Trainor admitted to hitting Keith in his ribs and hearing them break and that he broke his right hand while punching Keith in the face. Trainor also recounts hearing the victim call for help before they left.

A glove was found near the body that had another man's DNA on it, which officers found out he helped move the body in exchange for cash. Both Trainor and Wimbley were just sentenced to 15-30 years in prison and are awaiting transport to the Michigan Department of Corrections.