John Douglas White waives second preliminary exam

John Douglas White, 55, the man accused of killing 24-year-old Rebekah Jane Gay, waived his preliminary examination for a second time Thursday.

White was scheduled for an examination at 9 a.m. yesterday after the first was waived Jan. 10.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said he was not surprised by the waived examination because it occurs often in a case like this.

“It’s not uncommon defendants will waive their preliminary examination,” Mioduszewski said. “We see it quite often where it goes right to the pre-trial conference and then trial.”

A date for the trial has not yet been set.

Isabella County Prosecutor Risa Scully was unavailable for comment.

White allegedly murdered Gay on Oct. 31 in her Broomfield Township mobile home, 3303 S. Coldwater Road. An ex-pastor, White was engaged to Gay’s mother and often watched Gay’s three-year old son.

Gay’s body was found Nov. 1 in a stand of pine trees on Coldwater Road, and the mallet and bloody towels used were discovered off Pickard Road near Woodruff Road. Gay’s cell phone was found in a dumpster in her and White’s mobile home park.

“We don’t want to taint any potential jurors, but there was physical evidence found in his pickup that could link him to the crime,” Mioduszewski said.

Mioduszewski said there were numerous pieces of evidence that were collected that would tie White to the crime even without the confession.

White confessed to the murder, blaming it on a two-week sexual fantasy he had to kill Gay and have sex with her dead body, as previously reported by CM Life. He told the police the murder was fueled by pornographic videos and said he did not remember carrying out his fantasy because he drank four or five beers before going to Gay’s home.

White was later arraigned in the Isabella County Trial Court on charges of open murder, first-degree and pre-meditated murder without bond.

White has two prior convictions, one for manslaughter in Kalamazoo County in 1994 and another for attacking a young woman in Calhoun County in 1981.