27-06-2025
Suspect in GVSU student's death bound over to circuit court, scheduled for trial
The suspect in a May shooting that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old GVSU student in Tallmadge Township has waived his preliminary examination.
Westen Meulenberg, 20, has been bound over to Ottawa County's 20th Circuit Court with a jury trial scheduled for Aug. 20 under Judge Jon Hulsing.
Meulenberg, of Jenison, is charged with discharging a firearm in a building causing death. His bond was set at $50,000 and he has since posted the 10% required for release.
According to a release from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a party May 9 and found Connor Lotterman, 19, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The teen was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries and died the following day. The manner of death was deemed accidental.
According to OCSO, Meulenberg allegedly obtained a firearm in the residence and fired multiple rounds through the floor of an upstairs bedroom, where Lotterman was. The bullets, police said, penetrated the floor — and one struck Lotterman in the head.
More: Police identify teen killed in Ottawa County shooting as 19-year-old GVSU student
Detectives say alcohol is a suspected factor in the shooting.
Discharging a firearm in a building is a felony offense and, when another individual has been killed, is punishable by life in prison or any term of years, according to state law.
— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@ Follow her on Twitter @cassideykava.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Westen Meulenberg scheduled for trial in death of GVSU student
