Retired Corrections Officer Kirk Culik and his wife live in Hillsdale County, Michigan. Hillsdale County is the home of Hillsdale College, known for its strict adherence to the United States Constitution. It is also where Culik not only had to defend himself from three attackers but also had to defend himself from an overzealous prosecutor.
In May of 2022, Culik, a U.S. A. Hockey U18 coach, was unloading groceries with his wife from his car when a teenager approached him. According to Mr. Culik and evidence presented in court, the teenage chest-bumped Mr. Culik before another sucker punched him. A third teen came up from behind Culik and smashed a wine bottle over his head, giving Culik a concussion. The three teens repeatedly punched and kicked him as he was on the ground. Mr. Culik believed his life was in danger.
Mr. Culik stated he did not know the teens carrying out the seemingly random attack but believed they might be trying to steal his truck. He was not and still is unsure, but he knew he was in serious trouble. Mr. Culik had the great equalizer. He was armed, and having trained at MDFI, he knew what he had to do to possibly save his life. He managed to reach his gun, firing one shot and hitting and killing one of the attackers. The others fled the scene.
Earlier on, the three teens went on a crime spree. They stole a boat and a car. They also vandalized a park, all the while doing drugs and drinking. Mr. Culik told his wife to call 911 after defending himself. He thought his ordeal was over, but once police arrived from the small police force, they arrested Mr. Culik on the spot. He didn’t have to invoke his right to remain silent because the police didn’t ask any questions. Less than an hour later, he was indicted for murder.
The cancer survivor faced a long, hard road ahead of him, but he refused to plead guilty. He would fight for his freedom in court, but the ordeal would cost him. Mr. Culik was denied bond for 90 days and sent to jail, where he would be placed in solitary confinement for 102 days. In those 102 days, the lights were never turned off. He was told he was in solitary confinement because of “COVID.” The three-time cancer survivor was also denied medical treatment for the same excuse for 72 days
Eventually, the bond would be set, but to everyone’s shock, it was the highest in Hillsdale’s history. Mr. Culik’s bond was set to a mind-blowing $400,000. Not only that, but the judge demanded that it be paid in full in cash. Most bonds work by someone coming up with 10% of the bond value. The judge insisted every penny be put up in this case. Luckily for Culik, his family came through. His sister mortgaged her house to get the money, and after spending 703 days in jail, he was out and ready to fight back in court. That is, if he could get a fair trial, which was in doubt since he could not get even the speedy trial promised by the U.S. Constitution.
Shortly after the trial began, Mr. Culik’s lawyer was tipped off by someone in the Michigan State Police that law enforcement had given over evidence to the prosecution in the form of drone footage. The prosecution did not turn over evidence to the defense even though they were required to until the defense demanded it. Without the tip-off, it would have never seen the light of day. The drone footage not only showed what happened but also that the prosecution’s two star witnesses were not present during the attack.
It also came to light that the judge held ex parte meetings without the defense being present. A similar situation happened in the Young Thug case in Atlanta, leading many to believe that the case will be overturned if the rapper is convicted of murder. This situation was very similar.
While the case continued, Mr. Culik’s wife had to leave their home due to death threats. Their lives were being turned upside down. The ordeal would not be quick. Finally, on April 23, 2024, Mr. Culik heard the words he was waiting two years to hear, “Not guilty.”
The media covered the initial incident, but when the facts of the case started coming out, those same papers remained silent. When the narrative was about a 62-year-old man gunning down a teen, the media were interested in reporting the news, but when it became a clear-cut case of self-defense, the coverage dried up.
Mr. Culik was free, but the process of his punishment was costly. Culik did not have any concealed carry insurance and spent over $200,000 on his legal defense. An innocent man was forced to sell everything he owned to fight for his freedom, but the folks at MDFI are stepping up to help.
MDFI has a program called “Operation Skywalker.” It is an alum program that helps those in need, and Mr. Culik is one of those alumni. The goal is to raise $100,000 to help Mr. Culik get back on his feet, although that only covers half his legal bills. When there is injustice, we must help those affected.
If you would like to donate to help Mr. Culik, you can do so by donating at https://www.givesendgo.com/OPERATIONSKYWALKER
Guys, I know times are tight and we’re all counting every dollar but I wanted to post this link to support a fellow Michigander.
Kirk Culik trains with @TrainMDFI, a Michigan based firearms training company we’ve been training and working with for years. He was involved in a… pic.twitter.com/sWWJG2Omgo
— Feni Ammunition (@FenixAmmunition) June 4, 2024
About John Crump
John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. Mr. Crump lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
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