Murder suspect to be sentenced in April

By SUSAN FIELD

A Coleman teen accused of murdering his adoptive brother and injuring three other family members will be sentenced in April in Midland County Circuit Court.

Steven Pribbernow Jr., 15, pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of second-degree murder and three counts of assault with intent to commit murder, Midland County Prosecutor Michael Carpenter said.

Pribbernow, who stabbed to death 17-year-old Justin Pribbernow Aug. 4 at his family's home at 5180 McNally Road in Geneva Township, is set to be sentenced in Chief Circuit Judge Jonathan E. Lauderbach's Midland courtroom at 1 p.m. April 8, according to court records.

All of the charges against Pribbernow, who was charged as an adult because of the seriousness of the crimes, carry potential life sentences.

Pribbernow was charged with three counts of assault with intent to murder in connection with the stabbing of his stepfather, Joshua Saylor, and Saylor and Jessica Pribbernow's children, Kody, 13, and Kevin, 15.

Jessica Pribbernow and Saylor lived in the home with their mix of biological and adopted children.

Pribbernow, who is being held in the Midland County Jail without bond, will serve time in a state prison that houses younger offenders, Carpenter said.

The murder and assaults shocked the quiet, rural Coleman community, where Jessica Pribbernow was known by friends to be an idealist who wanted to make a better life for the children she adopted.

She had adopted the children of an extremely troubled family, and court documents indicate that her wanting to give the children a better life was a tough assignment.

The parental rights of that family, all boys, were terminated in Arenac County Circuit Court in 2003 for a number of reasons, according to court documents.

Once Jessica Pribbernow adopted the boys, she tried to change their lives, according to a family friend.