A Buried Shotgun Helped Solve His Murder After 17 Years

A tip led investigators to a buried shotgun and answers in a teenager’s killing after 17 years. But the two men police believe were responsible are both dead, leaving his family without a trial.

Lansing police announced October 12 that they had resolved the August 2009 homicide of Edric Hinton, 19. Detectives linked the recovered weapon to evidence from the original scene and identified a suspected shooter and getaway driver.

Hinton had finished a McDonald’s shift before visiting acquaintances at an apartment. His twin brother, Eric, spent the intervening years meeting with investigators and asking that the case not be forgotten.

A Visit After Work Ended in Gunfire

Hinton was at an apartment on West Cavanaugh Road on August 1, 2009, when someone fired from outside. Police described him as an innocent bystander in the shooting.

Officers and fire department personnel provided emergency care before he was taken to a hospital. Police Chief Robert Backus said Hinton was pronounced dead less than 30 minutes after reaching the hospital.

The initial investigation produced witnesses and possible suspects. Detectives pursued search warrants and forensic work, but eventually reached a point where the evidence could not carry the case further.

The file passed through several investigators. In 2019, Detective Shannon Thielen began reviewing it as part of the department’s cold-case work.

More Than 50 Pieces of Evidence Were Revisited

Thielen inventoried the existing evidence, more than 50 items in total, WILX reported. She also met with Hinton’s family to assure them that the investigation remained active despite the years that had passed.

The eventual lead came through someone with information from people involved in the killing. Thielen described building trust with the confidential source, who identified an area where the weapon had been buried.

In fall 2025, crime scene investigators recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and other corroborating evidence. The Michigan State Police Crime Lab matched shell casings from the original scene to the recovered gun.

That physical comparison, together with the source’s account and other evidence, allowed detectives to reach their conclusion. The gun’s recovery occurred the year before the public announcement, rather than during a new search this October.

Police Named Two Deceased Suspects

Investigators identified Esteban Reyes Jr. as the suspected shooter and Lee Anthony Lynn as the suspected getaway driver. Both had died before police announced the resolution.

Thielen explained that prosecutors therefore could not bring charges against them. The conclusion is a police finding; neither man will face a jury in Hinton’s death.

The department held the announcement with family members to explain the result publicly. Thielen said there would be no courtroom proceeding in which the family could hear the case tried, making the public account important to telling Edric’s story.

The resolution followed years of cold-case work in Lansing. City Pulse reported that its investigation into the department’s disorganized cold-case records in 2013 helped prompt funding for a dedicated investigator, before Thielen later took this case.

A Twin Brother Plans a Shared Birthday

Eric Hinton said the result was not what the family had wanted, but it was the best outcome now available. He described being able to grieve his brother without continuing to wonder who killed him.

Over the years, he had imagined the milestones they would have shared at 21, 30 and eventually 40. He plans a birthday celebration for both twins when his own 40th arrives, including things Edric would have enjoyed.

Their father, Ulysses, remembered Edric’s pride in his work. Reporting also described him as a sports fan who had recently enrolled at Lansing Community College before his death.

Eric’s plans now include celebrating the brother whose future was cut short. The investigation has supplied names and an account of the evidence, even though those answers cannot lead to the courtroom judgment his family once sought.

References: Resolution for 17-year-old Lansing cold case, suspects deceased | ‘It finally came to an end’: How a confidential tip helped Lansing police solve 2009 cold case, bring family closure | Man, 19, Was Killed After McDonald’s Shift in 2009. A Tip About a Buried Shotgun Finally Solved His Murder | Lansing Police resolved 17-year homicide cold case, suspects deceased

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