Man charged in longtime friend's murder

NEWAYGO, Mich. (WOOD) - A Newaygo man was in court Monday, charged with open murder for allegedly shooting his longtime friend and neighbor in the face.

Within minutes of the shooting Saturday, the gunman confessed, police said.

"Mr. (James) Traxler admitted to the first two police officers on the scene that he had just killed someone in the backyard, and instructed the officers where they could find the handgun," Newaygo Police Chief Patrick Hedlund said.

Hedlund detailed the incident Monday at a hearing to get an arrest warrant.

Traxler Jr., 61, is charged with open murder and using a firearm -- a .44 magnum revolver -- which could send him to prison for life.

He's accused of shooting 51-year-old Michael Boynton near their property line in Newaygo.

"Mr. Boynton, the victim, was mowing the grass," Hedlund said. "The two men's property abut each other.

"James Traxler confronted Mr. Boynton. Mr. Boynton was still seated on his lawnmower -- there apparently was some sort of an argument."

That's when Traxler drew his gun.

"And shot Mr. Boynton in the face, killing him instantly," Hedlund said.

Some heard the shot.

"It was just a really loud pop," said Tracey Pratt, a neighbor. "And being in the city, you don't expect to hear guns, so I wasn't really sure that's what it was."

Neighbors said it was a dispute over land that led Traxler to allegedly shoot Boynton.

"I just feel really bad that he lost his life over something so ridiculous -- that somebody could lose their temper over property," Pratt said.

The men's families bought land next to each other in 1981, according to records. Fourteen years later, the Boyntons sold a small piece of land for $500 to the Traxlers.

But the driveway Traxler used to get to the back of his home cut across Boynton's land. Neighbors told 24 Hour News 8 the dispute recently led Traxler to put in a new driveway.

The suspect's family didn't want to talk about what would lead a man who has stayed out of trouble most of his life, to allegedly turn a gun on his neighbor.

Only two blemishes sit on his record -- a drunk driving case in 1973 and a violation of state conservation laws 30 years ago.