Homicide in Niles Twp
• Person Making Release: D/ Sgt. Grenon
• Date and Time of Incident: 07/21/2025
• Type of Incident: Homicide
• Location of Incident: Franklin Woods 1950 S. 13th St. Niles Twp. MI
• Agencies Involved: Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, Medical Examiner’s Office
Narrative:
On 7-21-25 at approximately 1316 hours, The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Franklin Woods located at 1950 S. 13th St. in Niles Twp. MI for a death investigation. Upon arrival officers found that Courtney Hershberger, a 29 year old female was deceased inside the residence. Upon investigation it was found that the death was suspicious in nature.
A 33 year old male from Indiana has been arrested and lodged at the Berrien County Jail for open murder and weapons charges. The name of the arrested individual is being withheld pending arraignment.
This incident is still under investigation and further information will be released at a later time.
Incident # 25-17579
UPDATE #1
An autopsy has been performed on Courtney Hershberger at WMED in Kalamazoo. Preliminary results show that she died of a gunshot wound. It has also been determined that Hershberger and the arrested individual were involved in a relationship.
The arrested individual has not been arraigned due to this ongoing investigation. Arraignment will take place 7-23-25 after 1PM and the name will then be released.
More information to follow 7-23-25
***UPDATE #2 - 7-23-25***
On 7-23-25, RENE LOPEZ ALVARADO 4-12-92 of South Bend, IN, was arraigned in 5th District Berrien County Court. The charges were Homicide-Open Murder and Felony Firearms with a bond set at $2 Million with a GPS Tether condition. The charges are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is still under investigation as of this media release. For any additional questions or requests check https://www.berriencounty.org/253/Sheriffs-Office and use the inmate look up tool or put https://iml.berriencounty.org/IML in the tool bar.
