▁cas ings ▁proved ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁murder ▁weapon . ▁The ▁shot gun ▁itself ▁was ▁trac ed ▁back ▁to ▁Bl adel ▁through ▁its ▁serial ▁number , ▁who ▁by ▁then ▁had ▁been ▁re cons ider ed ▁as ▁a ▁suspect , ▁when ▁his ▁ 1 9 7 1 ▁attempted ▁murder ▁conv iction ▁was ▁discovered . ▁ ▁On ▁March ▁ 2 2 , ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁charges ▁were ▁file d ▁against ▁Rud y ▁Bl adel , ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁arrested ▁at ▁the ▁mission ▁that ▁same ▁afternoon . ▁He ▁initially ▁conf essed ▁to ▁the ▁Jackson ▁mur ders , ▁explaining ▁in ▁detail ▁what ▁happened , ▁but ▁later ▁rec anted ▁his ▁statements , ▁claim ing ▁he ▁had ▁been ▁co er ced ▁by ▁the ▁police . ▁He ▁addition ally ▁explained ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁gone ▁to ▁Jackson ▁so ▁he ▁could ▁retrieve ▁his ▁broken ▁motor bi ke , ▁and ▁when ▁it ▁comes ▁to ▁visit ing ▁the ▁dep ot , ▁he ▁had ▁only ▁gone ▁there ▁to ▁was h ▁his ▁hands . ▁As ▁for ▁the ▁shot gun , ▁he ▁claimed ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁his , ▁but ▁he ▁had ▁sold ▁it ▁to ▁a ▁stranger ▁in ▁El kh art ▁several ▁weeks ▁before ▁the ▁mur ders . ▁The ▁evidence ▁to ▁the ▁contrary ▁was ▁enough , ▁and ▁Bl adel ▁was ▁conv icted ▁for ▁the ▁Jackson ▁mur ders , ▁receiving ▁a ▁sentence ▁of ▁life ▁imprison ment . ▁ ▁Michigan ▁v . ▁Jackson ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 6 , ▁the ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁ruled ▁that ▁Bl adel ' s ▁case ▁should ▁be ▁ret ried , ▁as ▁jur ors