Gram Alexander Benton
Trevor Barton DeGroot-Boulter
GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP – It was technology that spelled the end for a pair who started out allegedly breaking into a tony home along Bradford Street NE and wrapped up with one man facing life in prison and another killing himself.
The man who referred to himself on Facebook as “The Unicorn,” was arraigned today on charges of armed robbery, first-degree home invasion and felony gun charges.
Early Sunday morning, the Kent County Sheriff's Department says 27-year-old Gram Alexander Benton and Trevor Barton DeGroot-Boulter broke into a home occupied by Michael and Elizabeth Batts and their three children.
The home is an exclusive neighborhood near the Grand Rapids Country Club that includes gated communities, massive palatial estates and some of the area's most valuable property.
According to police, the parents were bound with duct tape and held until Elizabeth Batts was able to escape and notify law enforcement.
When police arrived at the address around 4 a.m., they found that the suspects had fled. One of the parents had sustained injuries during the incident.
The two had gotten away with $150,000 in jewelery along with an iPhone and iPad, police said.
Michael Batts told police that he might be able to trace the technology with his home computer.
As a result, police found the iPhone along the side of the road and then tracked the iPad to the home of Benton at 2640 Middleboro Lane NE.
Michael Batts did not want to talk about the incident itself but said he hoped that word of the ability to track the technology did not become common knowledge – a sentiment he believed Apple Corporation shares.
“You'd be surprised how many people don't know about it,” Batts said today following Benton's arraignment.
He said everyone is doing well following the traumatic event.
Batts runs companies involved in real estate and investment.
It was on the usually quiet cul-de-sac on Middleboro where some two dozen police surrounded the house and used a bullhorn to broadcast commands to the occupants.
Quite quickly, the homeowners and two other family members left the home. After about two hours, Benton surrendered.
But DeGroot-Boulter, a Las Vegas resident with a criminal history – including a drug conviction that put him behind bars until his parole in November – told police he was not going back to jail.
Undersheriff John Hess said it appears that DeGroot-Boulter fired a shot toward police before finally turning the 9mm handgun on himself in a bedroom in the house, dying on the spot with the gun still in his hand, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Originally, Benton was being held on charges of burglary, robbery and kidnapping, but those charges were dismissed, according to Kent County District Court Records.
Although they were wearing masks, the Batts told police they recognized Benton as one of the robbers and it was Benton who held the gun while DeGroot-Boulter was armed with a crow-bar.
Police say they found the items stolen from the Batts at the Benton home. Police reported that the two suspects had slept near the area where the items were found.
Last month, Benton had been arrested and is awaiting a trial later this month on embezzlement charges, he told Judge Sara Smolenski as he appeared in the courtroom via video.
In 2005 and 2006, he pleaded guilty to separate charges of larceny in a building, according to court records.
Benton has two Facebook pages that feature him smiling, partying at a variety of venues and a fan page where he refers to himself as “Gram The Shady Unicorn.”
“If you have a Gram encounter post on the wall,” the page states. “This includes anything that could resemble the mysterious unicorn (post a pic) or if you got 'grammed' let everyone know.”
Police say Benton admitted to spending the night in question with DeGroot-Boulter, but asked for a lawyer before saying anything else.
He is scheduled to be back in court on July 18 for a probable cause hearing. He remains in the Kent County Jail on $500,000 bond.
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