Shivangi Sinha
Melody Rohrer was enjoying her post-retirement life as a full-time TV viewer with her husband, Richard Rohrer. Her days were filled with travel and spending time with family and friends. However, her life was tragically cut short in September 2021. She informed her family she was going for a walk but never returned home. The next day, her body was found in a wooded area in Van Buren County, Michigan. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs of a Psychopath’ episode titled ‘I’m Not a Weirdo’ details the circumstances of her murder. The details that later emerged left not just Melody’s family but also the investigators as well as the judicial system grappling with finding a suitable sentence for her perpetrator.
Melody Rohrer Was a Kindhearted Woman Who Always Wanted to Help Others
Melody Rohrer was born on August 22, 1957, to Durwood and Betty (Ash) Bertch. She grew up in a large family with three brothers and two sisters in Three Rivers, Michigan, where she thrived. Melody had a warm and loving presence that endeared her to those around her, and her drive to help others was remarkable. She graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1975 and married her high school sweetheart, Richard “Rick” Rohrer, in 1976. Melody had always envisioned having a family, and Richard was the perfect partner for her—a reliable man who would support her in building a loving and stable home for their future children.
The couple had three daughters: Brooke, Jill, and Stacey Rohrer, and Melody dedicated herself to raising them. She wanted her children to have as fulfilling lives as she had and set an example for them. Her philanthropic drive led her to become a registered nurse, and she started working at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, Illinois. She specifically worked with cardiac care patients and found great rewards in her daily work. In 2001, the family decided to move back to Michigan, where Melody joined Bronson Hospital and spent much of her time at the Antepartum and Postpartum Unit. She quickly slipped into the role of a leader as she advocated for her patients and trained new nurses joining the hospital.
A Car Crash Lead to Melody Rohrer’s Death
In 2014, Melody lost a piece of her heart when her daughter Stacey passed away. As she coped with a loss no one should ever experience, she also retired in 2017. With her daughters growing and leading their own lives, her grandchildren’s laughter—Autumn Chapman, Rohri Chapman, Hunter Schulte, and Cannon Schulte—brought joy back into her life. Melody and Richard decided to become full-time RV-ers. Melody focused on crafts, music, painting, and exercising, taking care of herself while the couple embarked on adventurous travels. From national parks to historical landmarks, they started the “Embrace the Journey” tour of America, making time to visit family and friends all over the country.
On September 20, 2021, while in Decatur, Michigan, Melody told Richard she was going on a walk to Oak Shores Campground. When she did not return, Richard filed a missing person report. On September 21, the police found her body on Purgatory Road near the Three Rivers State Game Area, a densely wooded area. She had been struck by a vehicle and succumbed to the injuries sustained in the crash. Forensic reports suggested that she had also been sexually assaulted after she had passed away.
Melody Rohrer’s Killer Claimed Her Death was an Accident
When Richard Rohrer filed the missing person report, the first thing the police did was try to track Melody’s phone. Upon locating her SIM card, they immediately noticed something suspicious: it had been removed from her phone and placed in another device. Detectives pinged the new phone and were led to Colby Martin. The police located Martin and brought him in for questioning. During the interrogation, he admitted to striking Melody with his vehicle, claiming it was an accident. Panicking, he had moved her body and dumped it elsewhere after carrying it in his car.
However, the evidence the police found suggested something else. Tire marks at the suspected scene of the crime indicated that Martin had veered in Melody’s direction and did not come to a stop until after he had hit her. Additionally, a used condom found in the back seat of his car contained both his and Melody’s DNA. An examination of his mobile phone activities showed that he had frequently searched for terms like “necro,” “dead,” and “kill” in the month leading up to the incident. The detectives working on the case concluded that Martin had intentionally committed murder to satisfy his nefarious sexual fantasies, and he was immediately arrested.
Colby Martin is in Prison Today
Colby Martin was charged with open murder, failure to stop at the scene when at fault, causing death, and concealing the death of an individual. When his trial began in June 2023, he maintained that Melody’s death was an accident, but the evidence against him was overwhelming. Detectives could not charge him with sexual assault due to the absence of laws in Michigan regarding acts of necrophilia. Still, he was found guilty on all three charges.
Martin was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. While rendering the sentence, the judge expressed extreme relief, noting that this ensured he would not be able to harm another family as he had harmed Melody’s. Since then, her family and some legislators have advocated for laws specific to the crime, aiming to pass them under the name “Melody’s Law.” Martin, now 32 years old, is serving his sentence at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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