Michigan Lawyer Accused of Killing Friend After Bar Joke Spirals Out of Control

A Michigan attorney has been charged with murder in the death of a longtime friend after an argument inside a U.P. bar turned deadly, authorities say.

Police allege the confrontation began with what was meant to be a joke involving the friend’s dog, but tensions escalated before a fatal shooting inside the bar’s bathroom.

What Happened the Night Theron Duncan was Murdered

The victim, 53-year-old Theron Duncan of Houghton, was found shot to death at the Douglass House Saloon, according to earlier reporting from local news outlets. The suspect, former Houghton attorney Evan Dixon, now faces first-degree murder and felony firearm charges in connection with the shooting.

Prosecutors say what started over a joke “got out of control,” and Dixon and Duncan ended up in a heated dispute before the deadly shot was fired.

According to police, the trouble started when Duncan left the Douglass House Saloon with Dixon’s dog, Hazel, and walked to his apartment across the street. Surveillance video showed him returning minutes later and joking inside the bar about holding the dog for ransom. At one point, Dixon stood up, shaped his hand like a gun, pressed it to Duncan’s head and joked to the bartender, “I’ll pop him.” Everyone laughed.

About an hour later, investigators say Dixon left the bar, then returned and told Duncan, “Let’s take care of all that business,” before heading toward the restroom. Duncan followed. A single gunshot rang out.

Dixon emerged apologizing and told the bartender Duncan would not give his dog back.

“He was just joking,” she replied.

The Victim and Suspect Were Longtime Friends

Helen Galang is Duncan’s mother. She said she does not know how her son met Evan Dixon, but knows the two were friends. She told the Ann Arbor News she plans to be present when Dixon is tried.

“I want to look him right in the face,” she said. “I just want to know why. What did my son do to him for him to kill him like that?”