Judge To Meet With Lawyers On Deaths Of Michigan Bicyclists

KALAMAZOO (WWJ/AP) - A judge is meeting with lawyers to get an update on the case of five bicyclists who were struck and killed by a pickup truck in Michigan.

The conference isn't open to the public Wednesday. A judge will decide whether he'll still hold a hearing on June 29 to determine if there's enough evidence to send Charles Pickett Jr. to trial on second-degree murder charges.

Authorities say the bicyclists were riding in a group on a rural road in Kalamazoo County's Cooper Township on June 7 when Pickett struck them.

The 50-year-old Pickett has been in custody for two weeks. He's being held without bond.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Police said they had received complaints about a pickup being driven erratically and were searching for it minutes before the crash. Pickett fled but was caught by police shortly afterward.

The bicyclists killed have been identified as as Debra Ann Bradley, 53; Melissa Ann Fevig-Hughes, 42; Suzanne Joan Sippel, 56, all of Augusta; and Fred Anton "Tony" Nelson, 73, and Lorenz John "Larry" Paulik, 74, both of Kalamazoo.

The group was about five miles into a planned 30-mile ride when they were struck.

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