Suspect pleads no contest in murder case

Mobley faces counts, including first degree murder

 

LAPEER CO. — The suspect accused of a horrific killing 14 years ago was in court Monday morning, facing three counts related to his alleged involvement in the murder of Andrea Eilber.

44-year old Chadwick Mobley pleaded no contest to charges of first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder and carrying a firearm while committing a felony for the 2011 death of 20-year-old Eilber.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but indicates that Mobley will accept the punishment. He faces up to life in prison with no chance of parole when he appears in court for sentencing in April.

Within hours of the incident, Kenneth Grondin was arrested as the prime (and only) suspect in the murder of his girlfriend, Andrea Eilber who was found shot to death in a family member’s home in November of 2011.

During Monday’s hearing, according to published reports, Mobley told the judge that he was intoxicated when the deadly shooting took place inside the home of Eilber’s relative.

Investigators say Mobley moved to Utah sometime after Eilber’s death. Detectives found evidence shortly after the shooting linking Mobley to Eilber’s murder, but they could not conclusively pin him as the suspect.

More advanced DNA testing done in 2023 directly linked Mobley to the crime, authorities say.

When detectives contacted Mobley in the summer of 2023 to confront him with new DNA evidence, he fled into a mountainous region of northwest Montana.

Following a manhunt, police caught up with Mobley and arrested him in Libby, Montana. However, police say Mobley slipped out of custody while in a prisoner transport vehicle in Montana. He was on the run for one day before being taken back into custody.

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office sent staff to Montana and escorted him back to Lapeer County, where he was arraigned in July of 2023.

Mobley had pulled off a Houdini-like act and escaped from police after his arrest. Not once, but twice, before being recaptured and extradited back to Michigan for court proceedings.

The November 2011 murder of 20-year-old Andrea Eilber was considered unusual, with two suspects being charged with first-degree murder for the same crime.

Mobley was identified as a suspect after Grondin, the victim’s boyfriend, had his conviction overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Dates for Grondin’s trial have not yet been set, according to a news release from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

Kenneth Carl “KC” Grondin, was originally charged with Eilber’s murder in 2011.

He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2015 and then saw his conviction reversed in 2019.

Mobley was arrested for Eilber’s murder in 2023 and has been held at the Lapeer County Jail since his incarceration.

Mobley’s plea was entered in a hearing before Lapeer County Circuit Court Judge Michael Nolan, according to court records.

In a statement following the court appearance, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “My thoughts are with the family and friends of Andrea Eilber and her community, as we announce this long-sought conviction in her senseless and horrendous murder.”

She added, “Today’s conviction was only possible for the tremendous cooperation and coordination of several law enforcement agencies, from Lapeer, Michigan to Libby, Montana, including agents from my office and the Michigan State Police. I am grateful for the countless hours of work investigators and prosecutors poured into this case, that lead to Chadwick Mobley’s conviction today.”