Man Accused of ‘Gruesome’ Killing of Mother & Neighbor Who Was on Phone with Police When Shot

Police in Jackson County received a call on the afternoon of Saturday, December 7, from Thomas Farnsworth, 57. He was concerned about a voicemail he’d just listened to from his neighbor, Roger Schweda, 40.

Farnsworth requested a welfare check on Schweda after the message, in which Schweda allegedly told him he couldn’t go inside because his mother was dead. When deputies asked for the exact address of Schweda’s residence, Farnsworth told them he’d call them back with it and made his way onto the neighboring property.

He was standing in Schweda’s driveway when he called the sheriff’s department back — and, as he was talking to them, he told them Schweda was pulling into the driveway. Then a gunshot was heard and Farnsworth was never heard from again.

Officers from the Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety quickly responded to the scene, where they did not find Schweda, but did find Farndworth’s body in the driveway.

Inside the home, they found the remains of the suspect’s mother, Schari Schweda, 70, in the bedroom in what was described in their police report as a “gruesome scene.”

Also missing from the property was Schari’s vehicle. After putting out information on this vehicle, it was picked up by a license plate reader in nearby Brooklyn heading into Columbia Township.

There, local police were able to track down the vehicle with Schweda behind the wheel, per CBS affiliate WLNS. They attempted a traffic stop, but Schweda fled the scene. Columbia Township police gave chase and report that Schweda shortly thereafter pulled over and was taken into custody.

On Monday, he was arraigned and charged in Lansing. A request for a competency hearing was accepted by 12th Circuit Court Judge Allison L. Bates, but bond was denied, citing public safety concerns. His next court appearance is set for January 3.