The Happy Jabalee Family

 View Larger

Ron and Christine Jabalee, a loving couple with three children and many grandchildren, were murdered in their New Baltimore, Michigan home on October 6, 2006.

Ron and Christine Jabalee seemed to live a picture-perfect life, with a beautiful home, three children -- Ron, Nikki and Ryan -- as well as several grandchildren. The entire family makes their living in the food industry: the elder Ron in the sales department at Sherwood Foods, and the rest of the family at RJ's Meats, son Ron's store in downtown Detroit. Friday, Oct. 6, 2006 was an ordinary day for the Jabalee family, but everything came to a crashing halt that night.

On Friday nights, Ron always called his son to see how closing at the store went. But on Oct. 6, he didn't call.

The next morning, when neither Ron nor Christine arrived at the store for work, all three children began to panic. Rosie, Ryan's girlfriend, went over to the Jabalee home to make sure everything was okay, but what she found was a gruesome crime scene.

Ron and Christine were lying in the garage, and there was blood in the driveway. When the police arrived, they described it as one of the most brutal crime scenes they had ever seen.

Not A Random Crime

 View Larger

Cops in New Baltimore, Michigan call the Jabalee home "a perfect crime scene" because they kept their house and garage so clean that it was easy to see what had happened to Ron and Christine Jabalee on October 6, 2006.

Police soon discovered that there was very little out of place in the Jabalees' home. In fact, the only things that were missing out of the house were two knives out of the butcher block in the kitchen. Police think the missing knives were the murder weapons.

Police believed from the start of their investigation that the killer was someone who the Jabalee's knew. Police say Ron met the killer after dinner when he was working in the garage and that a casual conversation probably took place.

Christine was in the den watching television and reading a book, but police say when she heard her husband talking, she went to investigate. That's when trouble started, and a brutal fight in the garage ensued. Ron and Christine were brutally beaten and stabbed to death.

A Bloody Message, A Shocking Arrest

 View Larger

This message, written in blood by one or both of the Jabalees, could be the clue that identifies the Jabalees' killer.

Even in the Jabalees' dying moments, they put up a strong fight -- and it wasn't just a fight against their killer, but also a fight for justice. One or both of the Jabalees actually wrote a message, using their own blood. No one is sure if the message was meant for police or for the Jabalees' children because the killer saw the bloody message and all but a few jumbled letters away. 

The letters that remain could be s, n, c, e, i, j, g, or d. Police are investigating and hoping that someone will be able to make sense of the Jabalee's dying words.

Police and the Jabalee children couldn't imagine who would want to harm Ron and Christine and tear this picture-perfect family apart. Police previously wondered if New Baltimore motorcycle gangs, such as the Outlaws, the Devil Disciples or the Vigilantes, could have been involved in the gruesome murder. One motive that was ruled out is robbery: Ron and Christine were both wearing all of their jewelry, and Ron's wallet was found in his pocket.

In June of 2009, police realized they did not have to look much further than the deceased's family for their suspect.  The Jabalee's eldest son Ron was arrested and charged in his parents' deaths.

Son Arrested, Released On Bond

Ronald Jabalee was released from jail just days after his arrest. Jabalee was arrested June 26, 2009, after a grand jury determined there was enough evidence to charge him with two counts each of first and second-degree murder in the brutal murders of his parents, Ron and Christine.

Jabalee was initially denied bond, but his attorney asked for an emergency bond hearing June 30. Judge Richard Caretti reversed the earlier decision and allowed Jabalee to post a $1 million bond.

Prosecutors argued that Jabalee has a serious painkiller addiction and has made threats against family members and even police.

Police testified that Jabalee had up to 13 Vicodin in his system when he was arrested. To counter the prosecution, Jabalee's defense attorney, Steve Rabaut, argued that Jabalee is a father of four who runs his own business and is not a flight risk. 

Judge Caretti took the prosecution's allegations into consideration. The conditions of Jabalee's release require daily drug testing and that he wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He is also not allowed to have contact with several family members or witnesses who testified before the grand jury.