09/24/2026
Matthew Rademacher Conviction Is Set Aside.
After a hearing on whether his trial lawyer was ineffective, an Ionia County court granted Matthew a new trial. The 2021 verdict no longer stands, and he is again presumed innocent.
the CCross news | Sept. 24, 2026
By clay cross
IONIA, Mich. — Matthew Ryan Rademacher of Clarksville is waiting for a new trial. The Ionia County Circuit Court granted the new trial after he argued that his original trial lawyer did not give him the defense the Constitution guarantees. The 2021 verdict no longer stands, and under the law Matthew is again presumed innocent unless and until the state proves its case to a new jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
Remembering Colton
The case began with a heartbreaking loss. Two-year-old Colton Sceviour died Sept. 18, 2020, at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. We hold Colton, his mother, his father and everyone who loved him in prayer.
How the case got here
Matthew, then 27, was arraigned Sept. 21, 2020, on charges of felony murder and first-degree child abuse. He pleaded not guilty. An Ionia County jury found him guilty in November 2021. In January 2022, Judge Ronald Schafer sentenced him to life in prison, the sentence the new trial has now set aside along with the verdict.
Matthew has never stopped saying he is innocent. At his sentencing, his attorney, Frank Stanley, told the court: "So the record is clear, my client maintains he is not responsible for the death of this child," the Ionia Sentinel-Standard reported. Speaking for himself, Matthew said: "I just want the family to know that I love Colton and I don't want to feed fuel to your fire. ... I will prove my innocence someway, somehow." What really happened was Colton fell off the top of some bleachers and hit his head, and Matt just happened to be caring for him a few days later when Colton began vomiting and losing consciousness. He called 911 thinking he was choking, not knowing what was causing it.
Next came a motion for a new trial. According to a published Michigan Court of Appeals opinion, the motion argued that trial counsel "rendered ineffective assistance by failing to investigate and attempt to secure suitable expert assistance in preparing and presenting a defense." The appeals court wrote that the prosecution's case "hinged heavily on the testimony of the medical examiner," while the defense's theory, that Colton died from the cumulative effect of multiple earlier injuries, "was unsupported by an expert witness at trial."
At a hearing on that motion, two forensic pathologists, Dr. Werner Spitz and Dr. Francisco Diaz, testified for the defense. The appeals court wrote that the testimony of both "supported the defense's theory." The trial court "ultimately granted defendant a new trial" [VERIFY: date of the new-trial order; not found in any public source]. In July 2024, Matthew's earlier appeal of the conviction was withdrawn and dismissed, Court of Appeals records show.
The legal terms, in plain words
Ineffective assistance of counsel. Everyone charged with a crime has a constitutional right to a competent lawyer. If a lawyer's work falls below a reasonable professional standard, and there is a reasonable probability the outcome would have been different without those mistakes, the trial was not fair
Ginther hearing. Named for the 1973 Michigan Supreme Court case People v. Ginther, this is the hearing where a judge takes testimony to decide an ineffective-assistance claim. It builds the factual record.
What a new trial does. When a defendant wins that claim, "the defendant's conviction is vacated, a new trial is required, and the prosecution would bear (again) the burden of proving the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," the Court of Appeals explained. In plain words, the case is back where it stood before the first verdict.
The latest ruling
On Aug. 19, 2026, in a published opinion (Docket No. 376370), the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the trial court's pretrial ruling that, on the facts of this case, the recorded Ginther-hearing testimony of Dr. Spitz and Dr. Diaz may not be read to the jury at the new trial, while declining to rule out such testimony in other cases.
What happens next
The case now goes back to the Ionia County Circuit Court to prepare for the new trial. Court of Appeals records list Frank Stanley as Matthew's retained counsel on appeal. As of Sept. 24, the state's public court index showed no newer appellate filing.
Matthew remains in custody at the Ionia County jail while he waits [VERIFY: confirm current custody with the Ionia County Sheriff's Office jail line]. He was taken into custody on Sept. 18, 2020.
How to support Matthew lawfully
Readers who want to stand with Matthew can pray for him and for Colton's family, and can write to him within the jail's rules. Mailing and deposit instructions, including the jail's postcard-only mail policy, are on THE CCROSS INC. page at https://theccross.org/free-matthew. Please use only official jail channels, respect the court process, and never contact Colton's family, witnesses or jurors about the case.
From THE CCROSS INC.: We give thanks that Matthew will have his day in court again. We pray for a fair trial, for Truth brought into the Light, and for peace for everyone who loved Colton.
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Sources
1. Michigan Court of Appeals, People v. Rademacher, No. 376370, opinion (published), Aug. 19, 2026.https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a5058/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/opinions/final/coa/20260819_c376370_38_376370.opn.pdf
2. Michigan Court of Appeals, No. 376370, concurring opinion (Young, J.), Aug. 19, 2026.https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a5058/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/opinions/final/coa/20260819_c376370_39_376370c.opn.pdf
3. Michigan Supreme Court, order, SC 169455, Feb. 27, 2026.https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a5058/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/sct/public/orders/169455_11_01.pdf
4. Michigan Court of Appeals, order, No. 376370, Oct. 29, 2025.https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a5058/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/coa/public/orders/2025/376370_9_01.pdf
5. Michigan Court of Appeals, order dismissing appeal on withdrawal, No. 360510, July 15, 2024.https://www.courts.michigan.gov/4a4edf/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/coa/public/orders/2024/360510_47_01.pdf
6. Michigan Courts case search, COA 376370, accessed Sept. 24, 2026. https://www.courts.michigan.gov/c/courts/coa/case/376370
7. WOODTV.com, Whitney Burney, "'Justice for my son': Murder charge in toddler's death," Sept. 21, 2020. https://www.woodtv.com/news/ionia-county/man-accused-of-murder-in-toddlers-death/
8. FOX 17, Gabriel Rogers, "Clarksville man found guilty in 2020 Ionia County death of 2-year-old," November 2021 [VERIFY date]. https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/ionia/clarksville-man-found-guilty-in-2020-ionia-county-death-of-2-year-old
9. Ionia Sentinel-Standard, Evan Sasiela, "Man gets life in prison without parole for killing boy, 2, in Ionia County," Jan. 25, 2022. https://www.sentinel-standard.com/story/news/courts/2022/01/25/ionia-county-man-gets-life-without-parole-killing-toddler/9214277002/
10. THE CCROSS INC., Free Matthew page, accessed Sept. 24, 2026. https://theccross.org/free-matthew
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