Articles Posted in Murder/Homicide

Recently, a state appellate court addressed a defendant’s appeal in a Michigan homicide case, arguing that a lower court should have suppressed a statement he made to police during an interrogation because they ignored his request for an attorney. According to the record, the 19-year-old defendant lived in the same neighborhood as the victim and was friends with him since kindergarten. The state contends that the defendant shot and killed the victim in a wooded area near the neighborhood, and returned to the scene about a month later to show his girlfriend the victim’s body. The man and his girlfriend...

Earlier this month, a state appellate court released an opinion in a Michigan homicide case involving the defendant’s claim that his attorney should have requested a jury instruction on involuntary manslaughter. Ultimately, the court agreed, vacating the defendant’s conviction and ordering a new trial. The Facts of the Case According to the court’s opinion, police were called for a report of retail theft. Upon arriving at the scene, they saw the suspect get into the passenger seat of a Ford truck. The officer tried to pull the truck over, but the defendant, who was driving the truck, sped off. After...

Earlier this year, a state appellate court issued a written opinion in a Michigan homicide case discussing the lower court’s decision to exclude evidence of the defendant’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ultimately, the court determined that the lower court properly excluded the evidence and denied the defendant’s appeal. The Facts of the Case According to the court’s opinion, the defendant was involved in an altercation with the co-owner of an after-hours club. Evidently, the two men got into an argument earlier in the evening, and witnesses heard both men saying that they would return with a gun. The victim returned...

In March, a state appellate court issued a written opinion in a Michigan homicide case discussing the propriety of a show-up identification made by a witness. A show-up identification is one in which police show a single person to a witness, asking if that is the person they believe committed the crime. Show-up identifications are inherently suspect because they are suggestive in that the witness will almost always know that the person they are asked about is being investigated for their involvement in a crime. Thus, courts require law enforcement officers to take special precautions to ensure these identification procedures...

A 21-year-old man has been charged withsecond-degree murder in a crash on Detroit’s west side that killed a young girl and left four others hurt. The incident occurred February 17 when the driver of a Chrysler Sebring sped through a stop sign and lost control of the vehicle. The car struck a parked car and smashed into a tree. A three-year-old passenger in the car was killed. The driver and three other passengers – all of whom were minors – were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Speeding was cited as a factor in the tragedy. As of this time,...