Man admits to shooting wife to death in 2022 at Raisin Township home

ADRIAN — A Raisin Township man will be incarcerated for at least 20 years for shooting his wife to death as she fled an assault at their home in 2022.

Michael Lee Allison, 45, admitted during a hearing Tuesday in Lenawee County Circuit Court to shooting Nicole Marie Allison, 27, twice on July 4, 2022. He pleaded guilty to an added count of second-degree murder. The original charges of open murder and felony firearm are to be dismissed when he is sentenced May 30.

With the open murder charge, a jury could have convicted Allison of first-degree murder, which typically involves premeditation, would have had a mandatory life sentence with no opportunity for parole. If convicted, felony firearm would have had a mandatory two-year sentence that would have been served before any other conviction.

Allison's attorney, Lenawee County Chief Public Defender John Glaser, and Lenawee County Assistant Prosecutor Douglas Hartung met with Judge Anna Marie Anzalone for about 40 minutes Tuesday to work out the plea agreement. They agreed that the minimum sentence will be 20 years and that the sentencing guidelines would have placed the minimum sentence between 13.5 and 22.5 years. They also agreed that Anzalone could set the maximum sentence at any number of years but not life.

The prosecution discussed the plea with Nicole Allison's representatives and they understood it, Hartung said.

In discussing the agreement with Allison, Glaser said Allison's concern was the minimum sentence and when he would be eligible for parole. Glaser said his concern with the maximum sentence was that prisoners serving up to life on second-degree murder convictions are not usually released on parole. They also discussed that they expected Anzalone would have set the minimum sentence toward the high end of the guidelines range and the fact that the sentences for felony firearm and murder would have been served consecutively.

Glaser asked Allison if he had had enough time to discuss the plea with him.

"I have," Allison replied.

A trial had been scheduled to begin Sept. 9.

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Allison was arrested by Raisin Township police outside their home in the 2900 block of Gady Road shortly after officers were dispatched at 6:45 p.m. July 4, 2022, to a report of shots being fired. An arriving officer saw Nicole Allison’s body in a ditch in front of their residence. The officer then saw Michael Allison, who was carrying a shotgun, approaching from the area of the house. After the officer gave several commands, Michael Allison placed the gun on the ground and he was ordered to lie down, according to an affidavit of probable cause from the Raisin Township Police Department in the district court case file. 

In speaking to the Raisin Township officer at the scene and later in an interview at the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office with a sheriff’s detective and a Raisin Township sergeant, Michael Allison said he and Nicole were inside their home when he punched her several times after she told him their relationship was over. She fled the house looking for help, and he grabbed his shotgun and followed her outside to the front yard where he shot her twice, killing her.

On Tuesday, he told the court that the first shot struck Nicole in the right buttock and the second hit her in the left chest.

The case had been drawn out while the defense has obtained psychiatric evaluations on Allison's criminal responsibility and competency to contribute to his defense.

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.