A Michigan man might spend several years in prison for concealing his wife’s dead body inside a freezer, a judge ruled this week in a merciless and chastising decision that sought to set an example.
Terrell L. York, 54, pleaded guilty in October to one count of concealing a death. Under Wolverine State law, the maximum penalty for such a crime is five years behind bars. Sentencing guidelines, however, recommend a judge issue a sentence of zero to 12 months.
On Tuesday, Isabella County Circuit Judge Mark H. Duthie aimed for something in between — far exceeding the minimum and leaving open the possibility of exceeding the maximum — by sentencing the defendant to between two and eight years in state prison.
Patricia M. York, 67, is believed to have died from cancer. There was never any question raised by law enforcement as to whether her husband killed her — at least not publicly. The only issue is what happened to her body after the fact of her death in September 2022.
After his arrest in April, and having spent the longer part of a year in pretrial detention, Terrell York fully expected to be released from state custody, according to MLive.com. And, due to the relatively minor nature of the crime and his acceptance of legal culpability, that expectation wouldn’t have been too far-fetched.
And, his defense attorney Ann M. Chamberlain argued, the gruesome details had started to pose a safety risk to other inmates.
“People aren’t liking the nature of this case, something like that?” Duthie reportedly asked.
The defense attorney confirmed.
But the judge didn’t seem to care.
“The facts of this case are horrible,” Duthie said. “When a person passes … there should be closure for the family, for the friends. A person’s body after death should be treated with dignity. It should be treated with respect. It shouldn’t be stuffed in a freezer like a piece of meat. Your conduct is outrageous.”
The defendant’s status as a habitual, fourth-time offender ensured a sentence potentially beyond the statutory maximum.
“We don’t want anybody doing what you did in this case,” Duthie added.
The judge credited the defendant with 225 days of time served. He was also ordered to pay $548 in fines and court costs.
Earlier this year, Isabella County Sheriff’s deputies performed a well-being check on Patricia York after a call from her daughter in North Dakota. The younger woman said she was worried because she had not heard from her mother in some two years, telling law enforcement her mom had Alzheimer’s disease.
After receiving that request, deputies arrived at the York residence on Baseline Road in Deerfield Township — a tiny, mostly rural community in the center of Michigan.
When Isabella County authorities arrived and inquired about the missing woman’s whereabouts, Terrell York first dissembled. He initially told deputies his wife had moved out of their home and was living with family in Newaygo, Michigan, roughly an hour’s drive due east. The defendant declined to elaborate any further on that move.
He was arrested anyway due to an outstanding 2021 warrant for his third alleged offense of driving while under the influence.
Terrell York appears in a booking photo from April 2023. (Isabella County Jail)
Deputies followed up and determined the woman was not living with relatives — in Newaygo or otherwise. Her sister reportedly told law enforcement that she, too, had last spoken to Patricia York roughly two years ago, during a phone call in which the deceased woman said she was being kicked out of the family home following an argument with her husband. The sister said she tried to call back several times but could never contact her, the arrest affidavit says.
After contacting the Yorks’ landlord, deputies learned Patricia York had cancer. Before her diagnosis, she paid the rent, the landlord told law enforcement. Then, it was her husband who paid.
“[H]e asked Terrell every month how Patricia was doing with her cancer,” deputies wrote, referring to landlord Phil Bock. “He would say she was getting treatment or something like that.”
As it turned out, Patricia York was still paying the rent, in a sense. Not only had her husband hidden her body, wrapped in a blanket, in a chest freezer, he continued to cash her Social Security checks to pay for the necessities of life, like bills and food.
During the sentencing hearing, a prosecutor suggested the defendant was largely motivated by financial gain.
Later, when confessing what he had done, Terrell York said he was scared because of how sick his wife was before dying.
When given another chance to account for his behavior during his sentencing hearing, the defendant declined to speak.
In a victim impact statement, Patricia York’s daughter, Michelle McGraw, appearing via Zoom, spoke through tears.
“I’m angry my mom would be thought of as ‘the person in the freezer’ instead of a person who was loved and loved her family,” she said. “She was a sister, an aunt, a mom, and a grandma.”
The grieving daughter reportedly expressed her desire for the defendant to spend some time in prison. But she also said that the most important thing was for him to receive mental health treatment.
“My mom and Terry, yes, they fought and struggled with addictions of their own, but they did love each other,” McGraw said.
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