As expected, the four Ohio men convicted of killing Sam Simko of Commerce Township outside his marijuana grow business in Pontiac last year were sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.

Scott Aloysius Brown, 41, William Gregory Creasy, 35, and Christopher Adam Matacia, 35, were found guilty in April of felony murder and armed robbery for their roles in the Jan. 13, 2025 homicide. A fourth co-defendant, Deonte Damonte Prophett, 34, was convicted of the same crimes as well as felony firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Prophett was the gunman in the slaying.

Simko, 66, was shot to death after being lured to his grow facility on University Drive for what he thought was a business meeting.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said surveillance video footage from the business showed Creasy arrived first, then a Ford Expedition parked across the street pulled into the business’s parking lot. As Creasy and Simko walked out of the building,

Brown and Prophett exited the vehicle and, after a struggle, Simko was shot twice in the head and died at the scene. Approximately 50 pounds of marijuana was stolen from the business, officials said.