'Something went very awry' in 2006 New Baltimore slaying

Cops offer glimpse into case against Ronald F. Jabelee in death of parents

Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

New Baltimore-- For Ronald G. and Christine Jabalee, everything had its place.

Down to the methodical stacking of their silverware, police say the routine-oriented couple was meticulous in the care of their home and yard. And they were very involved in the lives of their three children and the meat shop their sons own in Detroit's Eastern Market.

But beneath the order lurked underlying tensions between the father and eldest son, police say, that bubbled out of control until the couple, both 58, were bludgeoned and stabbed to death in the garage of their Washington Street home three years ago this week.

"Something went very awry and for that few moments, tempers and anger took the best of people," said New Baltimore Police Detective Ken Stevens. Investigators are providing a glimpse into the case against the couple's son, Ronald F. Jabalee, for the first time since he was indicted in June on felony charges of first- and second-degree murder. The next hearing in the case is set for Nov. 4; Jabalee was released from jail after posting 10 percent of his $1 million bond.

His attorney, Stephen Rabaut, said prosecutors are going to have a difficult time proving their case. "They've got a tough way to go to establish what they are claiming. It's unfortunate that he's charged. The evidence, in my opinion, will not substantiate the charges."

Sealed transcripts prevent authorities from releasing specifics on what prosecutors call "financial motives" in the 2006 slayings, but detectives say they noticed and began documenting Jabalee's concerning behaviors from the beginning.

Michigan State Police Sgt. Patrick Young said the 41-year-old kept his distance from police during the first few critical months of the investigation -- except to inform investigators when he added to a reward fund to find a killer -- and he consistently offered up "damning statements" to relatives and police.

"We were never comfortable with him from the beginning, but he had just lost his parents," said Young, of the Richmond post, who added he conducted at least four in-depth interviews with Jabalee over the last couple of years. "He's made unsolicited statements that are of a huge concern to us."

Even so, Stevens said investigators spent about 30 months sorting thousands of tips and hundreds of interviews.

They looked into a possible connection to a Detroit-based motorcycle gang, an organized crime hit or a gambling debt vendetta. None panned out.

In June, prosecutors approved warrants that allowed cops to seize computers from Jabalee's business and Clinton Township home. They also examined his truck. Within a week, a grand jury convened and handed down an indictment.

Jabalee's younger brother, Ryan Jabalee, said police are making a mistake. "There is no way in my heart or mind that he could have done it."

The Jabalees were church-going people with a strong family bond, he said. Their father, a salesman for the meat shop, was planning to retire from Sherwood Foods and wanted each of his sons to have their own store, he said.

"We needed our dad. We still need him now," Ryan Jabalee said. "He kept things together."Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Steven Kaplan said he will be filing a motion shortly with the court seeking the admission of testimony from an FBI behavioral scientist at trial. The witness, who has reviewed photographs and autopsy and police reports, has concluded the perpetrator knew the victims and the double slaying was a crime of passion, he said.

The Jabalees were found in their garage next to an undecipherable blood-scrawled message police believe was written in an attempt to identify their killer.

Young said the house did not appear to be ransacked, but knives were missing from the kitchen. A murder weapon has not been recovered, he said.

Prior to Jabalee's release from jail, prosecutors claimed the married father of four made "veiled threats" to an uncle who testified before the grand jury.

He is fitted with a GPS tether and barred from speaking with several family members and a neighbor who may testify at his trial, which attorneys anticipate will begin early next year.

"Now we need to sit down and tell our story to a jury and they will be the deciders," Young said. "It is tragic. There are no winners here. Ronnie's got a family. I really feel for his family -- for his kids and his wife."