DETROIT – A heartbroken mother is desperate for justice after she said a man who killed her son got a slap on the wrist.
Osean Lockett, 19, went missing in July 2015 and was found dead months later in a sewer. Since that day, Lockett's mother has worked tirelessly to bring her son's killer to justice. She believes the court case fell through the cracks.
Police and prosecutors said they know who killed Lockett, but that they can't prove it. They're charging the man with other crimes and hoping the judges hammer him with lengthy prison terms.
Brenda Burton is grateful that her prayers might soon be answered, as the search for justice in her son's murder has been a long and disappointing journey.
Hundreds of people searched the neighborhood where Lockett was last seen for his body, but a water worker found his body in a sewer.
"He was shot four times and thrown in a sewer," Burton said.
Michael Ferguson was the main suspect in the case, but the witness proved unreliable. Ferguson pleaded guilty to a two-year gun charge, but Burton said that's not enough.
"I pray for justice," she said. "If you do something wrong, you should have to pay the consequence."
Now the US Attorney's Office is stepping in. They also have a gun charge against Ferguson and want to hammer him with 10 years in prison -- way above the recommended sentence -- making their case in part by telling the judge that Ferguson is a suspect in Lockett's murder.
Officials provided photos as public evidence, including a picture of Lockett's body in the sewer. The photo breaks Burton's heart, but she supports the effort.
"If it will help the case, (it's) OK," Burton said.
In court filings, Ferguson's attorney is crying foul, saying Ferguson can't be punished for a crime he was never convicted of. He said Ferguson was a good child who made the mistake of selling guns for money. He said Ferguson is willing to accept fair punishment, but not the 10 years prosecutors are asking for.
The judge is scheduled to rule on Feb. 7.
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