Final defendant in Boysville murder accepts plea agreement

MONROE — A no contest plea to second-degree murder has resolved the murder case where the body of a Monroe woman was found in March 2023 at an abandoned juvenile detention facility in Frenchtown Township.

The reason why Kayla Marie Sedoskey, 23, was killed remains unclear, Monroe County Prosecutor Jeffrey Yorkey said in a news release.

"Evidence suggests that it could have been a 'wedding present' for co-defendant Narena Bails from Steven Bails or simply a revenge killing for words exchanged between Kaylyn Ramsey and Ms. Sedoskey," Yorkey said.

Michigan State Police said in a news release Tuesday that the suspects conspired to kill Sedoskey over multiple disagreements that they had with her.

Sedoskey and Steven Douglas Bails Jr., 45, of Frenchtown Township had been in a romantic relationship at one point, and Sedoskey and the six defendants had been roommates. Steven Bails and the former Narena Cherry, both of Monroe, received a marriage license from the Monroe County Clerk's Office in February 2023.

Ramsey, 33, of Wakeman, Ohio, entered a no contest plea to second-degree murder Monday in 38th Circuit Court in Monroe, Yorkey announced. The agreement includes a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison. Second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison. She was the last of six defendants to either accept plea deals or be convicted by a jury.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated like a guilty plea for sentencing.

Ramsey's trial on open murder and first-degree murder charges had been scheduled to start May 13. Those charges are to be dismissed when she is sentenced May 30. Co-defendant Brin David Westley Smith, 21, of Monroe also is scheduled to be sentenced May 30. Smith recently entered into a similar plea agreement to 40 years on the minimum sentence for his involvement in the killing.

The prosecution and defense agreed to a factual basis for Circuit Judge Daniel S. White to be able to accept the plea, which revealed that Sedoskey was lured into the abandoned Boysville facility by Smith. Once there, Sedoskey was attacked by her killers. Sedoskey's body had three gunshot wounds, including one at point-blank range to the top of her head, Yorkey said.

Investigators determined the murder happened between 10 p.m. Feb. 15 and 12:30 a.m. Feb. 16, 2023, at Boysville, Yorkey reported previously.

According to state police, the defendants devised a plan to have Brin Smith pretend to show interest in dating Sedoskey, state police said in Tuesday's news release. He utilized Facebook to “catfish” her and to schedule a date. On Feb. 15, 2023, Smith picked Sedoskey up for their planned date and drove her to the abandoned Boysville facility, where Steven Bails, Ramsey and Bemis were waiting for her. Once inside the facility, Sedoskey was shot three times with a suspected .22-caliber handgun.

The investigation revealed that Steven Bails' wife, Narena Bails, listened to a police scanner at the suspects’ apartment and was supposed to notify them if the police were responding to Boysville, state police said. Alexander Robert Feko of Detroit Beach disposed of the handgun after the homicide. The day after the homicide, Steven Bails, Smith, Ramsey and Sierra Nicole Bemis went back to Boysville to hide Sedoskey’s body and to cover it with fragrances as a way to hide the smell of decay.

Steven Bails, Narena Bails and Brin Smith fled the state after Sedoskey’s body was located, state police said. Steven and Narena Bails were arrested in North Carolina in April 2023 after a several hour standoff with the U.S. Marshals Service.

High school students exploring the Boysville facility found Sedoskey's body, which was wrapped in a tarp, on March 2.

A Monroe County jury convicted Steven Bails, 45, following a trial in March with more than 20 witnesses and 60 exhibits. The jury in that case returned its verdict after deliberating for an hour and a half. Testimony included accounts from Bemis, Feko and Narena Bails. They already have pleaded for their involvement in the crime. Steven Bails faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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Narena Bails, 25, and Bemis, 24, have pleaded no contest to second-degree homicide. Feko, 27, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and three counts of accessory to homicide after the fact.

Sentencing for the Bailses, Bemis and Feko is scheduled for May 23.

Yorkey thanked the team of law enforcement officials from the Michigan State Police and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office along with the Michigan State Police Crime Lab.  Detective Sgt. Michael Peterson from the Monroe Post of the state police led the nearly yearlong investigation. Dozens of law enforcement officials worked between agencies to collect the evidence used in this case.

The prosecution team was led by senior trial attorneys Leah Hubbard and Ragan Lake with assistance from assistant prosecuting attorney Alexis Hatch. Victim rights specialist Alana Horkey provided comfort to Sedoskey's family.

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

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Final defendant in Boysville murder accepts plea agreement