By KATIE McLAUGHLIN Court TV
GROVELAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Court TV) — A Michigan teen who doused her father with drain cleaner is charged with murder.
Megan Joyce Imirowicz allegedly tossed a mix containing lye powder and water on Konrad Imirowicz, 64, while he was napping on a couch at the family’s Groveland Township home on Oct. 1, 2021. She was 18 at the time.
Megan Joyce Imirowicz (Oakland County Jail)
Konrad was hospitalized that day with chemical burns to his head, torso, and extremities. He spent months in intensive care, before being released to in-home hospice care in his final days.
Konrad succumbed to his injuries and died on March 6, 2022, after which time Oakland County prosecutors upgraded the charges against Megan from domestic violence and assault with intent to do great bodily harm to murder.
According to police, Megan left her father unconscious after dousing him. A neighbor found Konrad. Investigators later found lye powder on the couch.
Lye powder is a common cleaning agent, often used in drains. When mixed with water, it creates what is known as an exothermic reaction — this causes a dramatic temperature increase, and the solution can reach as high as 200°F. The reaction results in fumes that, when inhaled, render people unconscious. By the time Konrad was discovered, he was severely burned and had lost consciousness.
Police have not publicly stated what they believe Megan’s motive to have been.
Megan was released on a $75,000 bond based on the original charges against her, but according to Michigan State Police, she was taken back into custody on March 11, 2022 upon being charged with murder. She is also charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.
Megan, now 19, is currently being held at the Oakland County Jail. If convicted on the murder charge, she faces up to life in prison.
The trial will be held in Oakland County Circuit Court.
