Men convicted of murdering Pontiac businessman sentenced to life in prison
(FOX 2) - The men convicted of murdering Sam Simko, a Pontiac businessman, learned their fate in court on Thursday.
In January 2025, four men, William Creasy, Scott Brown, Christopher Matacia and Prophett were alleged to have murdered Simko, who was a 66-year-old Commerce Township resident and co-owner of a marijuana growing business in Pontiac, during an armed robbery.
They were found guilty by jury trial earlier in 2026.
Life in prison
The four defendants were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole following a lengthy hearing of victim impact statements. Among those were the wife of Sam Simko, his son, and a third family member.
The judge handed down the lifetime sentence for the count of murder, in addition to the assault, firearm, and theft counts as well.
Wife of murdered Michigan businessman gives heart-wrenching statement
The wife of Sam Simko, the Pontiac businessman who was murdered in a brutal execution-style killing inside his store, gave an emotional victim impact statement during the sentencing for the men convicted of killing him.
The backstory:
Simko was killed in an execution-style murder in 2025.
The four men are alleged to have murdered Simko, a 66-year-old Commerce Township resident and co-owner of a marijuana grow business in Pontiac, during an armed robbery.
One of the men, Creasy, was let in by Simko and as he was leaving, it's alleged he held the door open for Prophett who was armed, and Brown, who barged in wearing masks and gloves.
Once inside, they fatally shot the victim, zip-tied him and put a bag over his head. There was not any cash inside the store at the time, but the Oakland County Sheriff says the four then stole about 50 pounds of marijuana.
"Masked and gloved individuals, as they burst into the business, they basically executed the owner," Bouchard said. "Obviously a cautionary tale to marijuana businesses because they are in the business of two things that are valuable to criminals, both cash - which this particular location didn't have, but often times they do like at a dispensary. So you have cash and drugs."
Simko was discovered by his business partner inside the store just after 8 p.m. Monday night, who called 911.
Bouchard said that it is believed Simko originally met one of the suspects at the Ann Arbor Hash Bash. Creasy at some point arranged a meeting at the business.
The Source: Previous reporting and court statements were cited for this story.