Michigan : Renee Welka

Written By Navigating Advocacy Podcast

This week we are heading to the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 5th largest city in the state is home to over 123k and is home to the University of Michigan. This has given Ann Arbor one nickname of America’s most famous college town. Besides the college, there are many quirky characteristics that make up this town. One is that you can find fairy doors all over the town. The first one popped up in 1993 at a residence and then in 2005 the first public fairy door appeared! Since 10 others have been spotted. 


Locals have dubbed the town as “Tree Town” because over 1.5 million trees are thriving in the greater area. 


This last fun fact is one just for me, A Very Potter Musical was created and performed at the university and would become the internet’s biggest musical.

As far as crime goes, Ann Arbor has some relatively calm crime statistics. It is safer than 21% of other towns with the same demographic and the chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 292. However, property crimes are much higher with your chance of becoming a victim 1 in 59. Theft is a major problem within the city limits of Ann Arbor. 


Like many big cities, Ann Arbor has a large amount of suburbs surrounding the outskirts. One of those suburbs is another college town of Ypsilanti. (Ip Sil Anty) This is where 22-year-old Renee Welka attended Eastern Michigan University. It was the summer before her senior year and the spunky young woman was working her way through the break as a waitress at a restaurant called Mountain Jacks in Ann Arbor.

Renee was an ambitious worker, as she was putting herself through school and was one year away from obtaining her marketing degree. Her mother said she had one of those attractive personalities that drew people in, especially children. Renee loved shopping and waterskiing.

July 29, 1994, should have been a regular day for Renee. She was scheduled to work the dinner shift at Mountain Jacks that Friday evening. After her shift, she met up with a friend and they went out for the evening. Around 2 am, they pulled into the parking lot of Renee’s apartment at Glencoe Hills Apartment Complex in her white Ford Escort. Before Renee could even put the car in park, a male walked up to the driver’s side window and shot through the back windshield towards the driver with a small caliber handgun. 


The bullet struck Renee in the back and her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. She mashed the gas pedal in an attempt to evade the attacker but unfortunately, she didn’t make it out of the parking lot before she lost consciousness. 

Her attacker fled the scene on foot and police received a report of gunshots and arrived on the scene just a few minutes later. Renee was taken by ambulance to St. John’s Mercy Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries around 3 am. 


As with many crime scenes, it created quite a stir in the neighborhood and many people began to gather around. While giving her statement, Renee’s friend that was the passenger noticed one bystander that seemed to stand out. She told police that she was positive that one black male in the crowd was the one that shot her friend. 

Police immediately arrested the 18-year-old Clarence Powell II. Powell lived in the same complex as Renee and he told police that he heard the gunshot and came outside to investigate but that he was innocent. These claims went unheard and he was arraigned the very next afternoon on one charge of open murder and one charge of committing a felony while in possession of a firearm. I know what you’re thinking…. “Whitney, I thought ya’ll only did unsolved cases… this one seems wrapped up with a bow” 

Well, we aren’t done yet. 

Clarence Powell was an ambitious teen who had plans of attending college in the fall. He was the captain of the basketball team, a boy scout, and had a clean record. 

Powell’s preliminary examination took place on August 11, 1994, and lasted less than 5 minutes. His case would be dismissed due to a lack of evidence. Most of the evidence they had on Powell was circumstantial at best due to it being eyewitness statements. 

His attorney was quoted as saying that “he was in the home eating grapes and watching television.” His defense was that this was a case of mistaken identity and that a friend even stated he was on the phone with him at the time of the shooting. In the 12 days Powell was detained the community stood behind his innocence. A rally was even held for him.


After he was released, statements from the police came out stating they were still awaiting ballistics results and that gunshot residue was found on Powell’s hands at the time of the murder.



Since this test in 1994, there have been no further leads in Renee’s story. Her parents wonder every day if this man was indeed the murderer of their daughter or if it truly was a case of misidentification.  

Renee was the second woman murdered within a three-month timeframe in the Pittsfield Township area of Ann Arbor.  Police did not believe the two were connected as the first had a motive of robbery. Could Renee’s murder have been an attempted carjacking? Was the assailant hoping to rob her? 

6 years after Renee’s murder, her family offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. This reward is still on the table almost 29 years later. In 2000, a task force in Michigan was created to help investigate cold cases and unsolved homicides. The most recent update in Renee’s story is that in 2004, an investigator was quoted as saying they had new pieces of information that were being cultivated but no announcements have been made.

Renee’s father passed away in 2013, and her mother battled with mental health after Renee’s murder. 

Law enforcement is asking for any information you may have be sent to the Pittsfield Township Police Department at 734.944.4911.

Navigating Advocacy Podcast

Whitney and Melissa, hosts of Navigating Advocacy, blend their true crime interests with a mission to spark justice through storytelling, inspiring action, and building a community of advocates.

https://www.navigatingadvocacy.com
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