Robbery convict charged with '02 murder

PAW PAW, Mich. (WOOD) - Nearly 10 years to the day after the body of a Van Buren County man was found in a ditch, authorities have charged a prison inmate with the murder.

Ray Edward Barry, 33, now faces a charge of open murder in connection to the death of Chris Green.

Green's body was found in a roadside ditch in Van Buren County's Geneva Township on Dec. 9, 2002.

An autopsy showed Green died from blunt force trauma and stabbing, Michigan State Police Lt. Chuck Christensen told 24 Hour News 8. Green is believed to have been stabbed with a knife.

Barry and Green had been living in the same neighborhood when the murder occurred, Christensen said, and Barry was on authorities' radar early on in the investigation.

A trooper began reviewing the case about three years ago. A detective sergeant was added to the case two years ago.

Authorities were able to get more information from interviews, which led to the arrest and charges.

Barry is currently serving an eight to 22.5-year sentence in state prison after being convicted of a 2003 unarmed robbery out of Kalamazoo County.

He was turned over to Van Buren County authorities Monday to face the murder charge. He is expected back in court on Dec. 10 and remains lodged in the Van Buren County Jail.

He has a criminal history dating back to 2001, when he was sentenced to four months in the Van Buren County jail after pleading guilty to unarmed robbery. He also served 120 days in jail in 2001 after being found guilty of resisting and obstructing police.

On Dec. 11, 2002 -- only two days after Green's body was found -- Barry was charged with attempted malicious destruction of personal property in Kalamazoo County. He pleaded guilty to that misdemeanor and paid a fine.

In 2003, he was charged with two counts of unarmed robbery. He was convicted on both counts in 2004 as a habitual offender and was sentenced to the prison term he is currently serving.