Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today that a man from Big Rapids had received a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a 2022 murder. 25-year-old Daykota Handrich received a life sentence for the murder of Ashley Godfrey.

Handrich was sentenced by Judge Kimberly Booher of the 49th Circuit Court in Mecosta County. After a four-day trial, Handrich was found guilty of First Degree Murder. Initially, Handrich was charged by Mecosta County Prosecutor John Peterson before the case was handed over to the Department of Attorney General for prosecution.

On May 31, 2022, Handrich strangled and beat 36-year-old Ashley Godfrey to death in Big Rapids. Godfrey’s body was discovered by officers patrolling the White Pine Trail on June 3, 2022. The jury deliberated for less than five hours before returning a verdict of guilty.