Judge in Davontae Sanford hearings bars testimony from hit man’s former lawyer

 
 

, Detroit Crime Examiner
http://shar.es/Hxp5x


In a conference in Wayne Circuit Court Judge Brian Sullivan’s chambers Thursday, the judge informed Kim McGinnis, Davontae Sanford’s lawyer, that he would not allow testimony from Gabi Silver, former attorney for imprisoned hit man Vincent Smothers, about conversations Silver had with Smothers about the killing of four people in a dope house on Runyon St.
The ruling is a setback for McGinnis, who wants the judge to set aside Sanford’s guilty plea to the four murders and award him a new trial. McGinnis contends that the guilty plea was based on a bogus confession Sanford made merely to please the police officers. Sanford is developmentally disabled, and was only 14 at the time of the confession.
Self-professed hit man Vincent Smothers was twice that age when he told police and others that he had done the Runyon St murders. He is now in prison for eight other contract killings


Smothers is not willing to testify in the Sanford hearings, but has waived the attorney-client privilege as to conversations he had with his former attorney, and is willing to allow Gabi Silver to testify before Judge Sullivan. Smothers undoubtedly told Silver he had killed the four on Runyon street and that Sanford had no part in it.
Though there may no longer be a prosecutor on Kym Worthy’s staff who actually believes Sanford killed those four people, they are fighting McGinnis’ efforts at every turn. They had opposed Silver’s testifying and should be pleased at Judge Sullivan’s ruling. McGinnis is not and plans to appeal it.
Because the judge’s order is not a final judgment, McGinnis will have to petition the Court of Appeals for leave (permission) to appeal. Meanwhile, proceedings in Judge Sullivan’s court will continue, unless someone gets an order staying proceedings.

Detroit Police Homicide

Detroit Police Homicide Sgt. Michael Martell and Officer Kelly Mullins testified they questioned Vincent Smothers in three of the killings he allegedly committed. Both officers stated Smothers spoke freely, was cooperative, highly intelligent, and knew he was confessing to the killings.

Officer Kelly Knox

For reasons she still doesn’t understand, Officer Kelly Knox was sitting in her office one day when the phone rang and an anonymous voice gave her a name, Vincent Smothers. Officer Knox had handled the Gravier Street shootings case, and she was seriously surprised to catch this break after nearly a year of silence on the streets. Smothers’ accomplice, Lakari Berry, 27, was arrested shortly after the shootout and is serving life in prison with no chance of parole for the killings. Smothers confessed to police that he was the other shooter.

, Sgt. Michael E. Russell, Sr.

Detroit Police homicide Sgt. Michael Russell, who investigated the Runyon Street killings, said he is certain Sanford was involved in the slayings though he has provided no solid evidence to support that assertion. He said Sanford gave details, including a drawing of where the victims’ bodies were found. But what Sgt. Russell didn’t share in court is the fact that he showed Davontae a video of the crime scene before asking Davontae to draw it. Obviously, Davontae drew what he saw in the video.

, Sgt. Gerald Williams

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit teenager trying to erase his guilty plea in four killings may get a lift from the testimony of a police officer who talked to a self-described hit man about the case.

Sgt. Gerald Williams testified Thursday in Wayne County court. He says Vincent Smothers told him authorities had the “wrong guy” in four fatal shootings in a Detroit drug den.

Davontae Sanford was 15 when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2008. A judge is holding hearings on whether the 17-year-old may withdraw the plea.

Sanford’s lawyer says he took responsibility for the Runyon Street killings to please adults.

Smothers is awaiting trial in eight homicides. Police say he confessed to the Runyon killings in 2008 but hasn’t been charged.

Ernest Davis

Where is Ernest Davis?

Ernest Anthony Davis who goes by the street name of “Nemo” is a known accomplice of Vincent Smothers in multiple murder cases. Ernest Davis has a brother by the name of James W. Davis who resided in the area of Lexington, Kentucky. After committing a murder, Vincent Smothers and Ernest Davis would go to Kentucky together and lie low until they felt it was safe to return to Michigan and carry out another crime. Smothers and Ernest Davis were observed leaving the scene of a Detroit area homicide in a late model Cadillac with Kentucky license plates registered to James W. Davis. The car was later located in Detroit in a burned out condition with a murder victim in it.

According to Smothers, the murders on Runyon Street were ordered by a man named “Lano” over a drug dispute and Ernest Davis had assisted him on the job.

Smothers told police he instructed Davis to stash the murder weapon, a .45-caliber handgun, in his cousin’s house on Promenade Street. According to court records, that is in fact where police found the pistol.

Considering all this, one would assume that Ernest Davis would be the number one suspect as to who was Smothers’ accomplice in the Runyon Street murders. However, to this day no charges have been filed against him. Instead, he has walked free for more than two years since Smothers’ arrest and confessions. In fact, there is no record of police having ever even questioned Davis.

(No photos of Ernest Davis are available publicly.)

, Assistant Prosecutor Robert Stevens

 

 
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Stevens cut contract killer Vincent Smothers a remarkably lenient deal, sentencing him to only 50 years for the planned murders of 8 individuals including a police officer’s wife and two federal informants. This averages out to a sentence of 6 years and 3 months for each premeditated murder – a very generous gesture on the part of the prosecutor.

KILLER-FOR-HIRE VINCENT SMOTHERS, IN PRISON FOR DECADES, GETS LAWYER


The Associated Press

A Detroit hit man who pleaded guilty to killing eight people has been granted a lawyer to explore possible appeals.

Mitch Foster says he was recently appointed after Vincent Smothers requested an appellate lawyer.

Foster says he doesn’t know yet if the 29-year-old Smothers has grounds for an appeal or any reason to try to withdraw his guilty pleas in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Smothers is serving at least 52 years in prison for a series of mostly drug-related homicides. He pleaded guilty in June, saying he was a killer-for-hire.

Separately, Smothers told police he was involved in four other killings at a Detroit drug house in 2007. He hasn’t been charged.

 

, Marzell Black

 

 
Detailed here are just five of the seven or more contract hits which Vincent Smothers confessed to carrying out. In the process he also killed several more people who were witnesses to these paid hits.

Marzell Black aided Smothers in carrying out the hit on Rose Cobb.

Lakari Berry was Smothers’ accomplice in the Gravier Street shooting.

Not included in this list were the shootings of several others which Smothers confessed to, including the quadruple homicide on Runyon Street which he carried out with the assistance of Ernest Davis.

Also not included here is the 2006 murder of Willis Watson on Omira Street.

STAY STRONG

 

By Sister Siebra Muhammad

Life can be tough on all of us,
but lately your sun won’t shine.
Your going through so many things,
that are way worse then mine.

But look how far you’ve made it,
and look at the friends you’ve made.
I hope you realize how much we love you,
the memory will never fade.

Your unique and so full of talent,
don’t you dare let it all go to waste.
So many wonderful things about you,
that you couldn’t ever be placed.

You are but a lone seagull,
but you soar with beauty and grace.
Your intelligence is so stunning,
the icing is your beautiful face.

Sometimes what others say is important,
because what I want to say is all true.
You’re a great person and friend,
you’re special and there’s no one like you.

Steel all the sun for yourself,
because it’s each heart you’ve stole.
Stay strong because you have the courage,
and smile because it brightens each soul.

This poem was written for Davontae by a very beautiful and compassionate supporter of his fight for Justice, Siebra Mohammed we thank you

justice
We tell children to stay in a child’s place, so why are there so many children in prison. Kids forced to grow up at a fast pace, now enslaved in prison living. Lock em up and throw away the key, seems to be the desired course of action. Illogical thinking and ill fated reforms have proven to be a failed reaction. Instead of rehabilitation disguises in prison, how about trying rehabilitation in their homes. Since in all actuality, that is where these children really belong. The eyes of Justice, have definitely become blinded to the ways of this mad scheme. When all they can think of is punishment, instead of these children chasing there dreams. Young impersinoable minds, now being shaped in an environment full of mistrust and anger. Only to be freed one day, thereby placing the community at an even greater danger. What was once an innadnt mind, now hardened from the affects of doing hard time. No longer chasing their dreams, its now chasing a life of crime. Its time to find solutions to this problem, because soon it’ll be too late. Its a community problem, that we cant afford to leave it to the state. There is no reasonable minded adult, who should be in agreement with this. So in the name of Davontae Sandford, lets take a stand for “Justice”
 by Curtis Jones 
 © Copyright All Rights Reserved

Keep In your thoughts Davontae Sanford !

 It will have been 6 long years to Davontae Sanford was falsly arrested for the Runyon Street murders.
He was 14 years old. He is now 20,
More than Six years of his childhood were stolen from him by a corrupt legal system which only continues to work to cover up the terrible wrong it has done him. In the mean time, those who are known to have carried out this sickening crime go uncharged.
Davontae is innocent. The police know it. The prosecutors know it. The courts know it. Anybody who reads the court records and police reports knows it.
This could have been any one of us, or any one of our children who was falsely arrested, railroaded, and imprisioned. If we let this stand, who will be next?
Please join us in demanding that the police investigate those who ordered and carried out the Runyon Street murders. Demand that the prosecutors stop covering up their frame-up of this innocent child and come clean. Demand that Davontae be freedto come home
You Can Write Him At
Davontae Sanford-684070
ionia maxmium correctional fac.
`1576 w.bluewater highway
ionia,mi 48846

Under the Spotlight’ Hit man: I pulled trigger, not teen

A Detroit hit man in prison for eight murders said he’s willing to publicly take responsibility for four more to help clear a young man who now says he’s innocent of the slayings and confessed at age 14 only to satisfy police.

Vincent Smothers’ testimony would be the most crucial evidence yet to try to persuade a judge to throw out Davontae Sanford’s guilty plea and free him from a nearly 40-year prison sentence. In an interview with the Associated Press, Smothers declared: “He’s not guilty. He didn’t do it.”

Smothers said he never used a 14-year-old accomplice — blind in one eye and learning disabled — to carry out his paid hits, mostly victims tied to Detroit’s drug trade. There’s no dispute that Smothers confessed to the so-called Runyon Street slayings when he was captured in 2008, but prosecutors have never charged him and never explained why.

“I understand what prison life is like; it’s miserable. To be here and be innocent — I don’t know what it’s like,” Smothers said of Sanford, who is now 19. “He’s a kid, and I hate for him to do the kind of time they’re giving him.”

Smothers confessed to a series of murders, including the execution-style shooting of a Detroit officer’s estranged wife, for $50. He says he was paid $60,000 over a two-year period. He eventually pleaded guilty to eight slayings and was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison.

Sanford, meanwhile, has been fighting to get out of prison. A Wayne County judge soon is expected to decide whether to throw out his guilty plea to the four killings on Runyon Street in 2007.