The Runyon Street murders

September 18, 12:53 PMDetroit Crime ExaminerRobert Brignall

http://www.examiner.com/x-19336-Detroit-Crime-Examiner~y2009m9d18-The-Runyon-Street-murders

The original idea behind this report was to find a simple case illustrating the concept, set forth by local law enforcement, that between 65 and 70% percent of Deroit homicides were drug-related. Yet as I researched this quadruple murder case, I discovered more twists than a Dan Brown novel. Davontae Sanford

On September 17, 2007, at least two gunmen entered a drug house in the 19700 block of Runyon Street on Detroit's east side. detnews.com, 7/22/09 Though the motive was evidently robbery, four residents were killed execution-style and a fifth was seriously injured. Only a seven year old boy was unharmed..freep.com, 2/8/09.

One of the persons who invaded the house was Davontae Sanford, who was all of 14 years old at the time of the murders. He lived with his mother in the same neighborhood as the murder scene, and spoke freely to police canvassing the area for witnesses. According to these investigators, Sanford admitted to having participated in the crime, giving up details that only a perpetrator could have known, according to Assistant Prosecutor Joe Puleo. A search of his residence produced ammunition and a pair of pants that tested positive for gunshot residue. Sanford was quickly arrested.

An 'Open and Shut' case? Hardly.

My first clue that this was not a typical east side murder case was that Sanford's lawyer opted for a 'bench trial,' one in which issues of fact as well as law are decided by the trial judge; there is no jury. This is quite rare, particularly in a homicide case, and one in which the victims were involved in the drug trade and thus less likely to be sympathetic figures to a jury. What this suggests is that the defense case was almost entirely controlled by legal issues. While details of the trial are sketchy, the defense counsel must have known that it was losing on these issues, since after the second day of the 2008 trial, counsel cut a plea deal with the prosecution, featuring a defense plea of guilty to second degree murder and use of a firearm in commision of a felony.

The plea deal obviously did not include dedendant's sentence, because the judge threw the book at him. He is currently serving a term of 37-90 years in the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer, MI, and will be eligible to join the AARP years before his first parole hearing, when he will be almost 70. detnews.com, 7/22/09. Because appeals from guilty pleas are rarely granted, this should have been the end of the story. Yet Sanford received help from an unusal source, a man who admitted to being a second participant in the Runyon Street murders.

A Hit Man with a Conscience

In April, 2008, a few weeks after Sanford received his sentence, a 28 year old, self-described hit man named Vincent Smothers came forward and confessed to having been involved in the east side killings.

Vincent Sothers attendind a court hearing

The police had already suspected at least one other shooter had been present, and Smothers gave them enough information that he was arrested. That Sanford did not name him earlier may have been part of the 'no snitch' policy, or fear that he might be killed for giving up the information. .

So why yould Smothers come clean? He claimed feelings of remorse for having killed one Rose Cobb, the wife of police Sgt. David Cobb.freep.com,, 2/8/09. Sgt. Cobb became a suspect in his wife's murder and, though never arrested, committed suicide.

Smothers admitted to carrying out a total of eight contract killings, for which he has been charged. He also stated that he used a .45 automatic pistol in the Runyon Street massacre, a weapon consiistent with ballistics tests, and that he stole a .40 automatic which he used in some of his hits. He took a half-pound of marijauna from the scene, which he split with a co-conspirator. He did not name Davontae Sanford as a participant.

Based upon Smother's admissions, Sanford's attorney filed a motion for new trial

Kim. McGinnis, Sanford's lawyer, has filed a motion to have her client's guilty plea thrown out, and Judge Brian Sullivan is taking it seriously. He should. According to McGinnis, her client is "developmentally disabled," reads at a third grade level and is blind in one eye.freep.com., 2/ 8/09. When he was taken to the police station for further questioning the day following the robbery/homicides, his mother did not come along, nor did she insist that a lawyer be present.

Additionally, Stanford described the weapon he carried that night as an M-14. Though an assault rifle was fired that night, ballistic testing identified it as an AK47.And though gunshot residue was found on a pair of Sanford's pants, none was apparently discovered on his hands.

The prosecutor is not backing down, however. He still has evidence pointing to Sanford as an active particpant in the crime. Meanwhile, Jugde Sullivan has ordered police to turn over to McGinnis the tape of Smother's confession, and demanded that ballistics tests be repeated by the Michigan State Police.

Smothers Gets Cold Feet and May Not Help Sanford Anymore

Smother's 'conscience' was short-lived; he took the Fifth Amendment at one of Sanfor'd's hearings, and has filed a motion to have his own confession tossed out. Sanford may win a new trial, but that doesn't mean he will prevail. He may get a reduction in his Draconian sentence, however, which in itself would be a victory for him.