SOUTH BEND – A 29-year-old man has been found guilty of murder in a September, 2010 homicide on Walnut Street.
Douglas A. Guilmette is accused of murdering Gregory Piechocki Jr., 37.
Guilmette was also found guilty of being a habitual offender and two counts of theft for stealing alcohol, movies and a cellphone from Wal-Mart and Meijer following the murder.
Piechocki was found beaten to death in a bedroom in the 1700 block of South Walnut Street, police said.
According to prosecutors, Piechocki and Guilmette had been drinking at the Walnut home on Sept. 13 with Piechocki’s roommate, Kevin Reider.
Reider said he went to sleep and left Guilmette and Piechocki in the living room. When Reider returned from work the following day, he found Piechocki dead in Piechocki’s bedroom.
Guilmette’s shoes were seized by police and investigators found bloodstains on them. Forensic scientists determined the blood contained Piechocki’s DNA, according to charging documents.
Guilmette allegedly spoke of getting into an argument with Piechocki and wanting to harm him, according to prosecutors.
Guilmette admitted to stealing from Wal-Mart and Meijer the night of the slaying, and said that he had been in the home with Piechocki.
He also allegedly told investigators that he did not like Piechocki and said “that the two of them had never shared anything,” prosecutors alleged in charging documents.
Sentencing is set for April 13. The sentencing range for murder is between 45 and 65 years. It is between 6 months and 3 years for each count of theft. The habitual offender charge is a sentencing enhancement and will add 30 years to Guilmette’s sentence, according to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor.
