Defendants who plotted to kill Macomb Township businessman in court

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Dawn Huffman (left), Jasan Martin, and Rachard Huffman

(FOX 2) - Three people accused of plotting to kill a prominent businessman from Macomb Township were expected to appear in court for a preliminary exam on Monday - but it was adjourned to later in December.

Rachard Huffman, his brother Jasan Martin and his wife Dawn Huffman are all charged with conspiring to kill Eddie Jawad at his home in mid-October.

The three suspects were all set to appear Monday for a preliminary exam, where the prosecutor would deliver evidence to prepare to head to trial. However, court adjourned without the three suspects in the courtroom, as the hearing was pushed back to mid-December.

The three defendants had planned to kill Jawad to keep him from pursuing an investigation against Dawn Huffman, who prosecutors say had embezzled a large sum of money from Jawad.

The backstory:

On Oct. 14, police were called to a large residence in Macomb Township following reports of a shooting at the property.

The investigation into the late-morning shooting in the area of 24 Mile and Foss started after the Macomb County Sheriff's Office announced  they were searching for a dark-colored SUV, connected to an attempted murder at the home.

Security footage of the shooting showed at 9:30 a.m. a man walking through the backyard of a neighbor of Jawad's, who then hit for 45 minutes before Jawad left his residence.

The suspect fired over a dozen shots at Jawad's vehicle before hopping over the fence and getting into a vehicle. Jawad suffered non-fatal injuries and later recovered at the hospital. 

The suspect shooter, Jasan Martin, 32, was later arrested at his home in Warren during an extensive search by police.

Dig deeper:

More suspects were later taken into custody in what became a widening probe involving individuals who worked for Jawad and a scheme to steal money from the businessman.

In addition to Martin, Rachard Huffman, 39 of Sterling Heights, and his 44-year-old wife Dawn Huffman were also arrested. All three were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit embezzlement. Martin was also charged with weapons offenses.

Prosecutor Pete Lucido said following the arraignment that Huffman worked as Jawad's office manager and handled credit card transactions to pay DTE bills for the owner's properties.

She is accused of using the card to embezzle over $100,000.

Lucido said Rachard Huffman and Jasan Martin conspired to "silence Jawad" in a bid to keep him from pursuing the matter.

Man arrested in Macomb Township attempted murder investigation

The Macomb County Sheriff's Office SWAT team helped the FBI and several other agencies make an arrest in the attempted murder of a prominent Macomb businessman Sunday afternoon. Video of the arrest, at a residence on Rivard Avenue in Warren shows a heavy police presence pull up to the house, break down the door and enter the house.