My City May 2023

one source matched the DNA from the Ludwig evidence. With this new evidence in hand, a warrant was obtained to search Gorton’s home. There, investigators found strange items including hundreds of pairs of women’s underwear and lingerie, some tagged with the original owner’s name and description. It seemed Gorton had been continuing the crimi nal activity he started in Florida years earlier. When questioned by police, Gorton refused any wrong doing and even denied ever

having been in Eby’s bathroom, thereby eliminating any legiti mate reason for his fingerprint to be found there which helped to solidify the prosecutor’s case against him. Even when con fronted with all the evidence, Gorton maintained his inno cence and refused to confess. The Trial The matter of The People of the State of Michigan vs Jeffrey Wayne Gorton was tried by jury in 2004. Charged with the rape and murder of both Margarette Eby and Nancy

Ludwig, the 39-year-old was convicted of criminal sexual misconduct and first-de gree murder in the death of Nancy Ludwig. Rather than go through another trial, he later pled guilty to killing Marga rette Eby. Wayne Circuit Court Judge Maggie Drake sentenced Gorton to life in prison with out possibility of parole. He continues to serve his sentence today in Ionia, MI. While the monster who took the lives of Nancy Ludwig and Margarette Eby is behind bars, police believe

that the two women may be only the tip of the iceberg. While taking Gorton’s history into consideration, police believe the number of his victims could be much higher; barring a confession, we will probably never know and he may never have been caught if it weren’t for the gut feeling of Eby’s son who grieved the loss of one of Flint’s finest citizens, Margarette Eby. ◆

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