DETROIT – The man charged with beating a pregnant mother to death in Detroit won't be going to trial after the judge dropped the charges against him.
Willie Wilborn was accused of beating LaDiamond Myers to death last month inside a home on Detroit's west side. But the judge said Friday there isn't enough evidence to try the case.
Myers’ family members said Friday night that they’re disappointed by the news, but not discouraged. Still, it’s a huge setback in the search for justice, relatives said.
“They should have dug deeper, but the simple fact is, I dug,” said Sheila Calvin, the victim’s sister. “And I’m not a prosecutor. I’m not the police. I’m just LaDiamond’s sister.”
Wilborn walked out of jail as a free man just before 9 p.m.
Myers’ family members said they fear what could happen now that he has been released.
Earlier in the day, emotions boiled over inside the courtroom when Judge Kenneth King said there wasn't enough evidence to bind over Wilborn for trial.
"There isn't evidence to bind over," King said. "There isn't."
Prosecutors came into the hearing banking on the testimony of Myers' 5-year-old son. He was not fit to take the witness stand, and prosecutors offered no physical evidence, so King said he had only one choice.
Myers' body was found in late June naked inside the home, and four of her children were left in another room.
Myers was brutally murdered in what officials called one of the most horrific cases in recent memory.
"There were over 112 different ... injuries to her body," Assistant Wayne County Medical Examiner Lokman Sung said.
Myers' family members left the courtroom as details revealed she had been beaten with fists, a cord and a broomstick. But the only witnesses to her murder were four children ages 5, 4, 3 and 1. Wilborn is the father of two of the children.
Wilborn was Myers' boyfriend for three years. He told Myers' mother before the murder that he was going to kill himself.
"He said he was going to commit suicide, and that I could have my family back," said Latisha Myers, the victim's mother.
Wilborn later ran to a friend's house to take a shower.
King's decision was devastating for Myers' family, and prosecutors said they believe only one person is responsible for the murder.
Next, prosecutors will work on re-issuing a warrant in the case, which would give them more time to work with police and gather evidence.
There was no DNA evidence presented during the case. Officials said plenty of DNA evidence was collected, but it's still at the lab and not ready for presentation.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office released the following statement after the decision:
"The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office will be re-issuing this case. In order to do so, we will need to present additional evidence to the court. We are working with the police to get the necessary evidence to re-issue charges against Willie Wilborn in homicide of Ms. Myers."