Edit: This article has been updated to include statements made by Judge Matthew Weise at Evan Dixon’s sentencing for second degree murder.
Evan Dixon, a former Houghton County attorney, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Theron Duncan in November 2023. Judge Matthew Wiese set the maximum sentence after Dixon pleaded no contest to the charges in June.
Dixon will serve a minimum of 18 years in prison and has been credited 1,023 days already served. The court also ordered Dixon to pay restitution to Duncan’s family for funeral expenses totaling just over $14,000.
The case centered on an incident at the Douglas House Saloon in November 2023. Dixon and Duncan were at the bar when a conversation between the two escalated into a disagreement. After leaving briefly, Dixon returned and the two men entered the bathroom, where Dixon shot and killed Duncan.
A witness told police Dixon exited the bathroom, placed a gun on the ground and stated, “I did it.” The witness then discovered Duncan dead in the restroom. The weapon used was owned and registered to Dixon.
The plea agreement was struck between Prosecutor Dan Helmer and Dixon’s defense attorney, Diane Kay-Hougaboom, after Dixon abandoned seeking a diminished capacity defense from the Michigan Supreme Court.
Helmer expressed his respect for the Duncan family’s commitment to justice. “What I kept coming back to was a conversation my office had with Helen over a year ago today, which is we just want to get this over with. And as the case lingered, we had witnesses die. We have the Michigan Supreme Court overturn 25 years of precedent and allow a diminished capacity defense and that’s why this case is resolved as it was today,” Helmer said.
Helen Galang, Duncan’s mother, addressed the court about her loss. “I can’t see him anymore here on earth. But I tell him, I’ll see you later, baby, because I know I’ll be where you are,” she said.
Theron’s daughter, Chinea Duncan, spoke of her father’s devotion. “My dad always came home and he loved coming home to be there for my son’s football games. I will always cherish the way he called me mama and the love he showed us,” she said.
Dixon expressed remorse to the court, stating he was deeply saddened by his actions. “I thought I had woken up in another alternate universe. The thought that I was killed there seemed incredible to me. I can’t explain what happened, but I’m not insane,” Dixon said.
Before Circuit Court Judge Wiese declared Dixon’s maximum sentencing on the case, he recognized Dixon will live out the remainder of his life in prison. “And I know you recognize that you likely will never walk out of prison alive… Mr. Duncan should not be dead. He’s only dead because you killed him. You did enter into a contest plea, two-sided degree murder... I also appreciate the fact that this case has taken time because we were exploring some of the legal issues involved in something like this. But I think it’s important to recognize Mr. Dixon that you’ve accepted responsibility and that Mr. Duncan’s family wanted to this done...”
Dixon’s status as a former attorney complicated the case, requiring many local court officials to recuse themselves. Judge Matthew Wiese of Marquette County oversaw the proceedings. The case also coincided with Prosecutor Helmer’s 2023 appointment to an office with a significant backlog of cases, and occurred within a month of the Kempainen murder in Hancock.
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