Detroit man released from prison after judge dismisses charges in 1994 murder conviction
On Thursday, Feb. 4, the now-45-year-old became a free man -- a moment his daughter Nakira Fantroy has been waiting for. Smith was convicted of first-degree murder and felony firearm on Nov. 29, 1994, in the death of Kenneth Hayes when Smith was only 19 years old. There was no conclusive forensic evidence that linked Mr. Smith to the case,โ the prosecutorโs office said in a statement. โThere was testimony in the case from a jail house informant claiming that Smith had confessed the murder to him. The dismissal of charges comes after an investigation by Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the WCPO Conviction Integrity Unit, headed by director Valerie Newman.
Detroit man fights for freedom after nearly 50 years in prison for crime he says he didnโt commit
DETROIT โ Ray Gray has been in prison for nearly 50 years, one of Michiganโs longest serving inmates. For decades, Barbara Rinehart dreamed about the day her husband walks out of prison as a free man. Heโs been filling canvases with wonder ever since, but a talented prison artist is just part of Grayโs story. But the cell remained locked tight, even after the intervention of Ellis Stafford, the deputy director of the Detroit Crime Commission who is convinced of Grayโs innocence. โHeโll fight to prove his innocence when heโs out if thatโs what it takes but he wonโt confess to something he didnโt do.โ
New Macomb County prosecutor starts making changes before being sworn in
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. โ Newly-elected Macomb county Prosecutor Peter Lucido will officially be sworn in soon, but heโs already getting to work. Lucido ran after former prosecutor Eric Smith resigned after being accused of embezzlement. The changes are made in an effort to repair public trust after the former prosecutor resigned accused of embezzlement and obstruction of justice. Warren police bust drug ring selling cocaine laced with fentanylA big takedown in the fight against the opioid epidemic happened Wednesday in Metro Detroit. They believe the three taken into custody are the leaders of a ring selling cocaine laced with fentanyl that has killed three people in Warren.
Man freed after 26 years of wrongful imprisonment for Detroit murder
DETROIT โ An innocent man who wrongfully served 26 years in prison for a Detroit murder has been released on Wednesday. โWe made the decision long ago to never give up fighting for Mr. Hamiltonโs release. And, even sadder, is that Mr. Hamiltonโs case is not unique," said Mary Chartier, one of Mr. Hamiltonโs lead attorneys. In Mr. Hamiltonโs case, the โsnitchโ claimed in numerous cases that men โ men who were strangers โ had spontaneously confessed murder to him. This is just one of the travesties that occurred in Mr. Hamiltonโs case.