15-year-old suspect arrested, charged

West Bloomfield Township police have arrested a 15-year-old Walled Lake resident suspected of fatally stabbing a 17-year-old West Bloomfield resident on Saturday, June 4.

The suspect was charged with open murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in Oakland County Circuit Court on Monday, June 6 and will be tried as an adult. The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has directed township police not to release the suspect’s name, according to police.

Johnathan Rickman, a junior at Walled Lake Western High School, died as a result of one stab wound to the torso, after police officers responded to a 5 p.m. call from Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield about a stabbing victim.

Officers then went to a residence on Rafford Lane in West Bloomfield, where four young men were found inside the house. One of them was the suspect, who was then taken into custody.

According to a West Bloomfield Police Department report, there was a gathering at the Rafford Lane house where people were playing cards, when a disagreement broke out between the suspect and the victim — a dispute which escalated into a fight. The suspect then allegedly marched into the kitchen and pulled out a knife and threatened the victim.

According to police, after the victim left the house, the suspect followed him out to his car and more words were exchanged before the suspect stabbed the victim at the street.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of Johnathan Rickman,” said Judy Evola, the Walled Lake Consolidated School District’s Director of Community Relations. “We will be vigilant about being sensitive to the students’ needs, and we are here for our students and families.”

Evola also said that Walled Lake Western had grief counselors present at the school Monday to help any students who needed to express their feelings of loss and grief.

Funeral arrangements have been made, with visitation scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 10 at the Heeney-Sundquist Funeral Home in downtown Farmington. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 11 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, located on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

Guests may gather at the church on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.

Memorial tributes are suggested to go to a scholarship fund in Rickman’s memory at Chase Bank.