DETROIT – The families of two murdered 20-year-olds thought justice had been served when a man was convicted in the double murder at a Family Dollar in Dearborn. But now the man is getting a new trial.
READ: Murder convictions overturned in 2013 slayings at Family Dollar in Dearborn
Levere Bryant was convicted in the brutal murder of Breanna Machus and her coworker, Joseph Orlando.
Bryant's conviction has been overturned on appeal.
"The family will have to re-live the hell they've been through," said Jeffery Bowels, Machus' uncle.
Machus and Orlando were working at the Family Dollar in Dearborn in July 2013 when a man stormed in. Orlando was found shot to death in a bathroom. Machus' body was later found dumped in a nearby wooded area.
The State Court of Appeals ruled that testimony about Bryant's prior sex convictions and his habits of watching violent pornography were distracting to the case, which is why his conviction was overturned.
What happened
Workers arrived at the Family Dollar to find the place trashed.
Police were called and Orlando's body was found in the store. Machus, the assistant manager, was missing.
Orlando had been shot and killed. He had only been working at the store for a week.
A manhunt for the killer began as police searched for Machus in hopes that she was still alive. Machus’ body was found two days later in a wooded area less than two miles away near the Southfield Freeway and Michigan Avenue.
Surveillance video showed a person of interest waving his arm as he entered the store. He had a hood over his head and his face was never clear. Tips started pouring in after the images were made public.
Police said Bryant went into the store, shot and killed Orlando in the bathroom and abducted Machus from the stock room. He then shot her and dumped her body, according to police.
Sources told Local 4 Bryant had a crush on Machus and that he had sent harassing letters to her home.
Bryant’s past
In 1999, Bryant pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was sentenced to jail time and probation and had to register as a sex offender, according to a court filing and the Michigan State Police.
Two years later, Bryant was locked up on an assault charge. He was transferred to the Ionia Correctional Facility in 2011 from a prison in Marquette and was released days later, according to Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman John Cordell. The records office at the Ionia prison neglected to change Bryant’s address on the sex offender registry.
When Orlando and Machus were killed, Bryant was still listed on the sex offender registry as being in prison. Had law enforcement been aware that Bryant was released, he would have been require to report to a police agency every July and January. Bryant, who is to be listed as a sex offender until 2057, never reported, which would have triggered police to begin looking for him.
