Chong Moua Yang’s life was senselessly cut short. His family waited for 4 years for some resolution.
Courtesy photo
LANSING, MI – After four years there is finally a resolution to the murder of Chong Moua Yang. On November 16th, 2018, Chong Moua Yang was hunting in the Rose Lake State Park in Bath Township, Michigan.
Yang frequently hunted in this area, and his wife was alarmed when he hadn’t returned home. His family volunteered to look for him and when they arrived, they found the victim’s car in the parking lot and followed two sets of footprints which led them to Yang’s body.
When police arrived, they found Yang lying face down with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. Witness testimony and a plastic bag with hunting spray that was recovered near the scene led police to Olson and Rodway. Nessel alleges that the defendants killed Yang while hunting, and stole the victim’s headlamp, knife, backpack, and shotgun.
Thomas Olson, 34 of Grand Blanc Township, MI, and Robert Rodway, 34 of Saint Johns, MI, was arrested late last night by the Michigan State Police Fugitive Team for the 2018 cold case homicide of Chong Moua Yang, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Olson and Rodway were arraigned on the morning of December 22, 2022 in the 65-A District Court in Clinton County with the following:
One count of Felony Murder, a felony that carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole; and One count of Felony Firearm, a two-year felony.
“The Bath Township Police Department worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other local agencies and prosecutors to gather evidence, establish a timeline of events, and locate the defendants,” said Nessel. “I am grateful for their persistence and hard work in pursuing this case. Chong Yang’s family deserves justice, and we are working hard to make sure they receive it.”
Olson and Rodway, the defendants, are being held without bond. On January 10, 2023, a Substitution of Attorney was filed on Thomas’ behalf. Thomas has obtained new counsel and will be addressing the bond with them. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference on January 26, 2023. Rodway had a bond review and his bond was denied for 90 days. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference on January 26, 2023.
