Hearing Postponed Again in Royal Oak Woman's Stabbing Death

Family and friends of Ranae Ann Chupick were in court in Royal Oak on Friday morning for the preliminary examination of her accused killer, but a “necessary witness” was not.

Christopher Michael Hearn, 23, of Clinton Township, is of 41-year-old Chupick of Royal Oak, in her Rochester Road apartment Sept. 19.

This morning, Judge Terrence Brennan rescheduled Hearn’s preliminary exam to Dec. 2 to grant prosecutors time to arrange for a witness to be in court.

Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Jason Pernick did not mention the "necessary" witness by name, but said the person had relocated out of state. Pernick told the court he was confident he could arrange for the witness to return to Michigan and appear in court, but noted Oakland County Medical Examiner Dr. Ljubisa J. Dragovic is out of town until Nov. 21. Pernick said both individuals' testimony are needed.

The prosecutor also said he only received new information from the autopsy report, which now include results from toxicology, on Thursday.

Defense attorney Steven Lynch asked that the record be clear “this adjournment is at the request of the People and not at the defense.” Lynch also stated he was just handed the new autopsy report this morning and did not have a chance to go through it yet.

This is the second time Hearn's prelim exam has been rescheduled.  to today to grant his defense time for review evidence and autopsy reports to be completed.

and was arrested on a charge of domestic assault on Chupick in 2010 but not convicted. Hearn was released from state prison in January 2010 after serving about 3 1/2 years on a Livingston County home invasion conviction, state records show.

Co-workers worried that Chupick had not shown up at work  inside in her second-floor home above the Skin Boutique salon on Rochester Road north of 13 Mile. The apartment showed signs of a struggle and Chupick was found partially nude, beaten and stabbed at least 12 times, . Her throat had been slashed and she’d been hit in the head with a blunt object, he said.

Hearn was of a friend after law enforcement officials received a tip. Police said Hearn admitted to the friend that he had killed Chupick. The friend recorded Hearn's admission and told his mother about it, who then called police, Swiatkowski said.