Case closed in The Cabin shooting, police will not try to get text messages

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Police will not pursue text messages sent from Justin Luckhardt the night of The Cabin shooting.

Public Information Officer Jeff Browne, of Mount Pleasant Police, said the prosecutor’s office told police their office would not pursue any charges in regards to the shooting.

Luckhardt walked into The Cabin, 930 W. Broomfield St., and fatally shot Kim “Kemp” Lerene Luchie, 25, of Grand Rapids in a case of mistaken identity on July 13. Luckhardt would later kill himself after a police chase.

The police report from the incident, obtained by Central Michigan Life through a Freedom of Information Act request, does provide some insight to some of the texts Luckhardt sent that night, including one sent to his wife the night of the shooting.

“I see your sister is here at The Cabin / your (expletive) boyfriend ,” read one of the text messages in the police report. “That was quick. You must have been on your way. I have no more respect for you. You (expletive) liar. You (expletive) whore. Its on. War.”

Luckhardt’s wife, Lori, said in the report he was a jealous person and mixed with alcohol he could be “very mean.”

“Our best answer is we have no idea what he was thinking,” Browne said. “To guess would be speculatory at best.”

A suicide note was also found by the police, taped to Luckhardt’s parents’ front door.

In the note, Luckhardt left everything to his son.

“This has not been premeditated,” the note read.

He also asked for those who knew him to tell his son, “I loved him.”

The report said Luckhardt went golfing earlier in the day with a friend before going to The Cabin. His friend told police they had split two six-packs of beer, four shots and had a big mug of beer at The Cabin.

After Luckhardt saw his sister-in-law, Luchie and their friends, Luckhardt went outside to his car with his friend.

There Luckhardt showed him a camouflage gun case and Luckhardt put him in a headlock, asking his friend if he was afraid of him.

After his friend said yes, Luckhardt let go and the two went to O’Kelly’s Sports Bar & Grill, 2000 S. Mission St.

Luckhardt left his friend after a bit, saying he was going to the bathroom and never returned to O’Kelly’s.

The police report also said an interview with Luckhardt’s brother-in-law, whose wife was with Luckhardt on the night of the murder-suicide.

Luckhardt’s brother-in-law said Luckhardt called him at about 8:30 p.m. that night. When he returned the call to Luckhardt he was told about his wife being at The Cabin with another man.

The brother-in-law said he told Luckhardt he did not care and did not want to get involved. There was a discussion with Luckhardt about taking a picture of the group sitting at the table, which the brother-in-law said he didn’t want.

The report said the brother-in-law ended the phone conversation by saying, “Justin, you do what you want to do.”

Luckhardt shot Luchie four times in the chest, killing him, and then drove away from The Cabin at about 10:45 p.m.

After leaving, police followed him on Crawford Road, where he went off the road near Millbrook.

Police found Luckhardt laying dead next to his car from a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.