Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A Grand Blanc man will serve a lengthy prison term in connection with a cold case murder.

35-year-old Thomas Olson of Grand Blanc was sentenced to 22 ½ to 60 years in prison for the murder of 68-year-old Chong Yang.

Olson was found guilty by a Clinton County jury in February of one count of 2nd Degree Murder and one count of Felony Firearm in the 2018 shooting death of Yang at the Rose Lake State Park in Bath Township.

Sentencing was presided over by Judge Shannon Schlegel in the 29th Circuit Court and included a consecutive two-year sentence for the firearm offense.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said “While the path to justice can be long, the Bath Township Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the dedicated prosecutors in my office worked tirelessly to secure this arrest, conviction, and now, sentencing. No jury verdict or sentencing could erase the pain felt by loved ones mourning the loss of Mr. Yang, though we hope today marks a significant step toward healing and a renewed assurance of justice.”

On November 16th, 2018 Chong Yang went hunting in the Rose Lake State Park – which was a frequent hunting spot for him. When he failed to return home that evening, his wife became alarmed. Members of Yang’s family volunteered to look for him and found his car in the parking lot. Footprints led them to the victim’s body. Yang was found lying face down with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. Witness testimony and a plastic bag with hunting spray that was recovered near the scene led police to Olson.