By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A trial has been ordered for a Genoa Township teen on charges surrounding a shooting death last year.

18-year-old Max Bastien was charged last year with second-degree murder, felony firearm and carrying a concealed weapon for the October 9th incident. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says he was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a Brighton man when he shot 18-year-old Christopher Grant Alexander in the head with a semi-automatic handgun in a dispute over a marijuana transaction in Pontiac.

Bastien, who was arrested the following day at his Genoa Twp. home was bound over to Oakland County Circuit Court after a judge on Wednesday determined there was enough evidence to send the case to trial.

The hearing featured testimony from two of Bastien’s acquaintances who accompanied him that night. They stated that the drug sale was arranged via Snapchat and that after Alexander and another Pontiac took the drugs and got out of the vehicle, Bastien also got out, telling the teens to stop or he would shoot. They then heard a loud “pop” at which point Bastien got back in the car.

The weapon and less than an ounce of marijuana were later recovered by police.

Bastien remains jailed without bond pending an August 2nd arraignment. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.