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Community reflects on loss of murdered volunteer

By Tana Michaels

SAGINAW – The tomatoes he planted are still green on the vine at The Green House Gathering Place, where Charles "Chuck" Darr, 69, volunteered on a nearly daily basis. Darr's life was cut short when he allegedly was beaten to death the first week of August.
"He knew a lot about gardening," said Gathering Place coordinator Barb Arbuckle. "When I wanted to plant the garden in rows, Chuck said, 'God didn't plant things in neat rows,' but there are neat rows out there."
Arbuckle smiled.
"He would say, 'Yes, dear!' when we'd discuss things like that.
"On other projects, he'd grumble at first and then say, 'Well? Are we going to do it or not?' You could ask him to do anything and he was right there to help," she said.
Those who knew Darr from his work volunteering with Perceptions, the Mid-Michigan LGBT organization whose motto includes "opening doors", shared similar stories. Friend and fellow Perceptions member Chas Laundra remembered Darr fondly. "I have a fully-dressed duck in my freezer right now that Chuck gave to me. We were going to eat it together. That's the kind of guy he was. He'd do things like that for you. I don't think that I'm going to be able to eat that duck without him."
And another generous act came to mind: "Chuck gave me a tree from his yard, but it got too late in the spring to replant it, so we were going to do it in the fall," Laundra said. "Now you see what the fall has brought us. It's sad. Chuck was content to sit and listen, but when he knew you better, he would put his two cents in. He could also be fun and joke around with the guys.
"He was a faithful and reliable member of Perceptions. If he said he was going to do something, he did it. He loved being part of the group."
Longtime acquaintance Laurie Billington said about Darr's death, "To think that someone would beat him to death … He was such a gentle soul. It makes me sad. You could've had anything you wanted from him without hurting him."
Characterizing Darr, she added, "He was a quiet, unassuming presence who would give you the shirt off his back."
A friend for more than 10 years, Leo Romo said that Darr "Was just a quiet, nice guy. He'd never whine or be a problem or brag."
Darr grew up on a farm and was a farmer early in his life in Tuscola County. He married, had three daughters and divorced before coming to live in Saginaw.
Still a farm boy at heart, Darr kept geese, ducks and chickens at his city property in Saginaw.
In the late '90s, Darr purchased a large three-story house that he and Bill, his longtime lover, were going to renovate. The home is located at 443 S. Weadock Ave. in the Cathedral District, an area popular with gays in Saginaw, many of whom have moved in to renovate houses. Unfortunately, Bill died over five years ago from natural causes, before renovations could begin. In the end, both men died in the home that they once shared.
On a fixed income, Darr rented rooms for extra money. Sometimes, he would help people who were down on their luck. Michael S. Kerr, 35, who was arrested for Darr's murder, was one of those people. A former renter and a person "who had trouble with drugs," he came to Darr for help to "get back on his feet," according to those close to Darr.
Kerr has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder, arson and carjacking.
Police were called by another man, who was living in the house at the time. When police arrived, they found that Darr had been dead for quite some time. Before officers could remove the body, they smelled smoke and had to evacuate because of fire that allegedly had been set by Kerr.
The fire department removed two men from the house in addition to Darr. The caller was rescued from the first floor bathroom. Police questioned and released him. Kerr also was taken from the house to the hospital for smoke inhalation where he remained on a ventilator for six days before police could question and arrest him.
Lt. Mark Lively of the Saginaw Police Department would only say that Darr was not stabbed and that there was a lot of blood.
Lively said that it was a possibility that Kerr was trying to commit suicide by remaining in the house after the fire was started. Kerr was charged with arson.
Kerr also was charged with carjacking. Saginaw County prosecutor Mike Thomas explained that a carjacking charge doesn't necessarily stem from taking the car while the victim is in it. "If someone makes you fear for your life while demanding your car or the keys – taking the car by force – the charge is carjacking."
A preliminary hearing for Kerr is set for Sept. 11, in Saginaw's 70th District Court.
As Romo put it, "(Darr's) death … the way … is so sad. We will learn how this happened through Michael Kerr's trial."

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