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Samantha Grigg, Brendan Heim, center, and Tyrel Bredernitz. The three were charged Wednesday with felony murder and robbery in the death of Dustyn Frolka.

(Courtesy of Clinton County sheriff)

Update: 1 of 3 Saline teens charged in MSU student's homicide had history of assault, theft

ST. JOHNS, Mich. — Three suspects, two men and one woman, are charged with using brass knuckles in a robbery of Michigan State Student Dustyn Frolka that ended in his death.

Samantha Grigg, 18 of Saline, Tyrel Bredernitz, 18 of Saline, and Brendan Heim, 16, were all charged with felony murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery for their actions on the night of Feb. 15. Magistrate Jane Clarke arraigned each of the three suspects.

Grigg is a senior at Saline High School, Heim is currently enrolled but hasn’t attended since he finished his sophomore year and Bredernitz said he is a graduate of the high school.

According to the charges, Grigg, Bredernitz and Heim planned to rob Frolka, 19 of Owosso, on Feb. 15. At 10:23 p.m. that night, Frolka was found unresponsive in the passing lane of Interstate 69 near the East Lansing exit.

The three suspects mostly gave yes or no answers to Clarke’s questions during the arraignment. Heim, who is charged as an adult despite being a juvenile, was the most talkative of the suspects.

“I understand the charge,” Heim said to Clarke after she read off the murder charge.

The Six Trails apartment complex where one person was arrested in the death of Dustyn Frolka.

Family members of the accused declined to speak to assembled reporters after the arraignments were done.

Bredernitz said he is also on probation for a case out of the 14A District Court. Details on that case were not immediately available.

Grigg, Bredernitz and Heim are all being held at the Clinton County Jail without bond. They return to court for preliminary exams at 1:30 p.m. March 6, Clarke said.

Each suspect was appointed an attorney by the magistrate.

Tyrel Bredernitz was arraigned on felony murder and armed robbery charges Monday

Prosecutor Charles Sherman said the alleged robbery, and the injuries that led to Frolka’s death, took place in a vehicle on the freeway. That vehicle was recovered when two of the suspects were arrested during a traffic stop in Saline.

The third suspect was arrested at an apartment in the Six Trails complex early Saturday morning. Saline police Sgt. Jay Basso said there was evidence of drug activity at the apartment.

Sherman said investigators believe the suspects wanted money for drugs.

“Everyone kind of realized it involved the drug culture,” he said during an interview after the hearing.

Sherman wouldn’t say exactly how Frolka and the three suspect came to know each other or be in the vehicle on I-69 on Feb. 15. He said communication had started between the suspects and Frolka about a week or two before his death.

“There was some communication before this happened,” he said.

Details about Frolka’s final hours or what happened inside the vehicle still aren’t clear and Sherman declined to provide too many details about what the police investigation turned up.

However, it’s possible more people could be charged in the incident. During the hearing, Clarke said the three suspects conspired with each other “and/or others” to rob Frolka.

“The investigation is still open,” Sherman said. “There’s possibly other people who might come into play.”

If convicted on any of the counts, each suspect faces life in prison.

Media reports have said Frolka, a rapper, was arrested by MSU police for cocaine possession on Jan. 31. When he was arraigned Feb. 1 on the drug charge, he was kicked out of his MSU dorm, the Lansing State Journal reported, and moved in with a group of people off campus.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.