Man who murdered boss at Macomb County business sentenced to life in prison

By FOX 2 Staff
Published  August 7, 2025 12:37pm EDT
FOX 2 Detroit

Jerry Motley (MDOC)

The Brief

    • A man found guilty twice of murdering his boss will spend the rest of his life in prison.
    • Jerry Motley shot and killed the owner of Reliable Fence in Clinton Township.
    • Motley was previously tried but received a new trial due to ineffective counsel.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man who shot and killed his boss at his Macomb County workplace in 2018 received a life without parole sentence Thursday.

Jerry Motley, 32, brought a gun to Reliable Fence in Clinton Township on Jan. 9, 2018 and killed Thomas Badke.

Dig deeper:

Motley was previously tried and sentenced to life in prison, but the conviction was overturned after his representation was found to be ineffective.

After a 2 ½ week trial this year, Motley was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, going armed with a dangerous weapon with unlawful attempt, and two counts of felony firearms.

According to the prosecutor, Motley tried to claim that he was legally insane when he committed the crime. 

The Source: Court records and previous FOX 2 reporting were used in this story.

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Crime and Public SafetyClinton Township