Topline: A 64-year-old man was sentenced to what a judge said will likely be a life term in the 1989 killing of Traverse City mother of five Linda Meteer.
Published: August 27, 2026 10:04 pm ET
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Steven Gary Koon (via Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office)
TRAVERSE CITY, MI — Steven Gary Koon was sentenced Monday to 30 to 60 years in prison for the 1989 killing of Linda Meteer, a Traverse City mother of five whose homicide went unsolved for nearly four decades before a jury convicted him this summer.
The sentencing closes one of northern Michigan’s longest-running homicide cases, with reporting from MLive, UpNorthLive and 9&10 News detailing how renewed investigative work, fiber evidence and newer mitochondrial DNA testing helped move the case from a 1989 task force file to a 2026 courtroom verdict.
Meteer was last seen on April 20, 1989, after a night at a bar near Chum’s Corner. Seven days later, a mushroom hunter found her body partially concealed under tree branches in Hoosier Valley, a rural area of Blair Township. Her death certificate listed the cause of death as a lacerated liver from a severe beating, and the autopsy also documented a broken jaw, broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Koon, now 64, had long been considered a suspect, but investigators did not make an arrest until Feb. 18, 2025, after a reopened case review and forensic analysis strengthened the connection between Meteer, hairs recovered from Koon’s vehicle and fibers tied to the scene. He was later tried on an open murder charge, and a Grand Traverse County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder on June 8 after a five-day trial.
Judge Kevin Elsenheimer sentenced Koon on Aug. 24 and said the term would likely amount to a life sentence because of his age. Court records from the sentencing show Koon received credit for 552 days already served. He declined to address the court or Meteer family members and continued to maintain his innocence.
Meteer’s family told the court the killing permanently altered their lives, with one son recalling that she disappeared on his 10th birthday. The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said after sentencing that the conviction and prison term reflected decades of work by past detectives, current investigators, forensic scientists, prosecutors and the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program, which helped organize the sprawling case file as authorities pushed the dormant homicide toward trial.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Man Sentenced in 1989 Northern Michigan Cold Case Murder
A 64-year-old man was sentenced to what a judge said will likely be a life term in the 1989 killing of Traverse City mother of five Linda Meteer.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: August 27, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Steven Gary Koon (via Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office)
TRAVERSE CITY, MI — Steven Gary Koon was sentenced Monday to 30 to 60 years in prison for the 1989 killing of Linda Meteer, a Traverse City mother of five whose homicide went unsolved for nearly four decades before a jury convicted him this summer.
The sentencing closes one of northern Michigan’s longest-running homicide cases, with reporting from MLive, UpNorthLive and 9&10 News detailing how renewed investigative work, fiber evidence and newer mitochondrial DNA testing helped move the case from a 1989 task force file to a 2026 courtroom verdict.
Meteer was last seen on April 20, 1989, after a night at a bar near Chum’s Corner. Seven days later, a mushroom hunter found her body partially concealed under tree branches in Hoosier Valley, a rural area of Blair Township. Her death certificate listed the cause of death as a lacerated liver from a severe beating, and the autopsy also documented a broken jaw, broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Koon, now 64, had long been considered a suspect, but investigators did not make an arrest until Feb. 18, 2025, after a reopened case review and forensic analysis strengthened the connection between Meteer, hairs recovered from Koon’s vehicle and fibers tied to the scene. He was later tried on an open murder charge, and a Grand Traverse County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder on June 8 after a five-day trial.
Judge Kevin Elsenheimer sentenced Koon on Aug. 24 and said the term would likely amount to a life sentence because of his age. Court records from the sentencing show Koon received credit for 552 days already served. He declined to address the court or Meteer family members and continued to maintain his innocence.
Meteer’s family told the court the killing permanently altered their lives, with one son recalling that she disappeared on his 10th birthday. The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said after sentencing that the conviction and prison term reflected decades of work by past detectives, current investigators, forensic scientists, prosecutors and the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program, which helped organize the sprawling case file as authorities pushed the dormant homicide toward trial.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Man Sentenced in 1989 Northern Michigan Cold Case Murder
A 64-year-old man was sentenced to what a judge said will likely be a life term in the 1989 killing of Traverse City mother of five Linda Meteer.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: August 27, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Steven Gary Koon (via Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office)
TRAVERSE CITY, MI — Steven Gary Koon was sentenced Monday to 30 to 60 years in prison for the 1989 killing of Linda Meteer, a Traverse City mother of five whose homicide went unsolved for nearly four decades before a jury convicted him this summer.
The sentencing closes one of northern Michigan’s longest-running homicide cases, with reporting from MLive, UpNorthLive and 9&10 News detailing how renewed investigative work, fiber evidence and newer mitochondrial DNA testing helped move the case from a 1989 task force file to a 2026 courtroom verdict.
Meteer was last seen on April 20, 1989, after a night at a bar near Chum’s Corner. Seven days later, a mushroom hunter found her body partially concealed under tree branches in Hoosier Valley, a rural area of Blair Township. Her death certificate listed the cause of death as a lacerated liver from a severe beating, and the autopsy also documented a broken jaw, broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Koon, now 64, had long been considered a suspect, but investigators did not make an arrest until Feb. 18, 2025, after a reopened case review and forensic analysis strengthened the connection between Meteer, hairs recovered from Koon’s vehicle and fibers tied to the scene. He was later tried on an open murder charge, and a Grand Traverse County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder on June 8 after a five-day trial.
Judge Kevin Elsenheimer sentenced Koon on Aug. 24 and said the term would likely amount to a life sentence because of his age. Court records from the sentencing show Koon received credit for 552 days already served. He declined to address the court or Meteer family members and continued to maintain his innocence.
Meteer’s family told the court the killing permanently altered their lives, with one son recalling that she disappeared on his 10th birthday. The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said after sentencing that the conviction and prison term reflected decades of work by past detectives, current investigators, forensic scientists, prosecutors and the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program, which helped organize the sprawling case file as authorities pushed the dormant homicide toward trial.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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