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| Homicide November 8; Westland Livonia Canton Plymouth | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 12 2007, 04:45 PM (6,273 Views) | |
| Mrs.M | Nov 12 2007, 04:45 PM Post #1 |
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http://www.wxyz.com/news/story.aspx?conten...5a-015b9586dbd6 The suspects are identified as: 18 of Westland (Graduate of Livonia Public schools) 17 of Plymouth Twp (Canton High school senior) |
| I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG. | |
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| Xena | Nov 13 2007, 09:43 AM Post #2 |
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Because of the grisly nature of this crime and the age and local connection of the accused, we will now have our own Tara Grant media coverage. This is a horrid situation any way you look at it. Prayers to all the family members. |
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| bailey | Nov 13 2007, 10:21 AM Post #3 |
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Oh they will need them alright(prayers). Disgusting is a mild word for it!!!! Put them away and throw away the key!!! There was no reason for this whatsoever. I won't even bother with a prayer for those boys!!! Did they think about the boy? Stabbed in the back, what cowards!!!!! But I will for the parents.
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| hopefloats | Nov 13 2007, 07:44 PM Post #4 |
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This is such a horrifying story. The sister of one of them is in 10th grade at Churchill. I cannot even imagine what she is feeling right now. My prayers go out to her and her family and the victims family. I just don't understand why anyone would do something like this! |
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| Deleted User | Nov 15 2007, 10:32 PM Post #5 |
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Thursday, November 15, 2007 Gag order issued in beheading case Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News PLYMOUTH -- A gag order was issued today in reaction to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's description of last week's stabbing, beheading and mutilation slaying of Daniel Sorensen as a "thrill kill." The order from 35th District Judge Michael Gerou bars police, lawyers, witnesses and court employees from discussing facts of the case with members of the media. The order allows the public release of public documents, but seals future documents generated in the investigation, including search warrants. Gerou and lawyers for Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 17, of Plymouth Township, and Alexander Letkemann, 18, of Westland met with Gerou and prosecutors in private for about 45 minutes today before the judge announced his order to reporters and television cameras waiting in his courtroom. Advertisement Lawyers representing Orlewicz had filed the emergency protective order Wednesday, complaining that Orlewicz's chances for a fair trial and an impartial jury were hurt by public comments made by Worthy and other law enforcement officials. At a press conference Monday where the arrests and charges were announced against Orlewicz and Telkemann, Worthy described the crime as "bone-chilling" and "horrific." She said that although investigators were aware of debts between the defendant and victim, those debts and robbery were not a motive for the killing. The complaint said: "Contrary to good practice and fairness, the prosecutor neglected to assert that the complaint filed in this matter was merely an allegation and that Mr. Orlewicz, as all persons charge with crimes in this country are entitled to a trial and are presumed innocent until proven guilty at all times. Rather, she improperly implied that the defendant had already 'been brought to justice' by filing of these charges." In a response filed in the court today, Worthy denied any wrongdoing. "At no time, either during the press conference, or in the press release did Wayne County prosecutor, or any of her appointees, violate the cannons or guidelines established by Modern Rules of Professional Responsibility." You can reach Doug Guthrie at (734) 462-2674 or dguthrie@detnews.com. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../711150491/1361 |
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| Nikki | Nov 16 2007, 09:59 AM Post #6 |
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I was very disappointed in the coverage on this story in Thursday's O & E. The suspects got front page coverage. An article about the victim can be found on page A5. |
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| On The Go | Nov 16 2007, 10:05 AM Post #7 |
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The Westland Observer had all 3 on the front page. I wonder what shared the front page space on the Livonia Observer? |
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| Nikki | Nov 16 2007, 10:07 AM Post #8 |
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The Kirksey/Quicken article. |
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| Deleted User | Nov 16 2007, 08:49 PM Post #9 |
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Letter Sent To Plymouth-Canton Parents Dear P-CEP Parent/Guardian: This has been a difficult week at P-CEP, and we felt the need to communicate with you. As you may have heard, a Canton High School student was arraigned in Romulus District Court on Monday for premeditated murder. This crime did not occur on our campus. We want to assure you that we are working in close cooperation with the local police and we are doing everything in our power to ensure the normal, safe environment you are used to at the Park. We ask parents to talk with their children and find out how they are feeling. Please also explain how seriously school officials take any threat of violence; even if the threat is considered a joke, there are still consequences. Because of the nature of the crime, the details may be very disturbing to our students. The district's top priority is to make sure all students have the support they need. Counselors, social workers and psychologists are available at each of the high school guidance counseling offices to talk with them. Please direct students needing assistance to their guidance counselor, where appropriate support will be provided. While there are many rumors circulating about details of the crime, you should know that there is no indication from the police that any other students from our district were involved. If you have additional questions, we urge you to contact one of the high school principals or the district's community relations department at (734) 416-3297. Sincerely, Jim Ryan, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools |
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| Deleted User | Feb 21 2008, 01:37 PM Post #10 |
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Judge admits statements in beheading case While in custody in the aftermath of a murder police say he played a key role in planning, committing and covering up, Alexander Letkemann made at least three statements to police, including a videotaped confession to Canton police revealed at his preliminary hearing. On Friday, Letkemann, 18, of Westland, was in court arguing he was sleep-deprived and intimidated into making those statements, and his lawyer was asking a circuit court judge to suppress those statements. ADVERTISEMENT Letkemann, a former student at Churchill High School, and Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 17 of Plymouth Township, are accused of first-degree murder in the Nov. 7 killing 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen of River Rouge, burning his body and beheading him to mask his identity, disposing of the body in a Northville field and the head in the Rouge River. Among claims Letkemann made in testimony in the Wayne County Circuit courtroom of Judge Annette Jurkiewicz-Berry: He didn't fully understand his rights, he was coerced into making the statements, and tricked into revealing the location of Sorensen's head. In making her ruling, Berry said Letkemann was intelligent enough to understand his rights. Letkemann's lawyer, Raymond Cassar of Farmington Hills, argued his client was sleep-deprived and intimidated during questioning that took place Nov. 9-11. Letkemann initially told Northville police Sorensen's body was already wrapped in a tarp when he arrived at the Canton home of Orlewicz's grandfather, where the murder took place, and that he didn't know what was in it as he helped load it in a truck. He told them in the videotape Orelwicz lured Sorensen into the garage and killed him by stabbing him from behind. He later wrote out an eight-page statement. Berry said Friday police officers did nothing improper and that statements were obtained legally from Alexander Letkemann, who in the video admits to police he understands his rights. She dismissed his attorneys' attempts to toss out the statements. Letkemann and Orlewicz face an April 7 trial date in the case. http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti.../802210557/1027 |
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| LPS Reformer | Feb 23 2008, 05:21 PM Post #11 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Among claims Letkemann made in testimony in the Wayne County Circuit courtroom of Judge Annette Jurkiewicz-Berry: He didn't fully understand his rights, he was coerced into making the statements, and tricked into revealing the location of Sorensen's head. *************************** He is complaing that the police "tricked" him into revealing the location of Sorensen's HEAD. How in the hell can anyone, even a lawyer, say that with a straight face. :angry: This clown is the poster boy for the death penalty. |
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“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
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| Nikki | Feb 23 2008, 09:07 PM Post #12 |
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Would he know where the head was if he wasn't involved in the crime? |
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| LPS Reformer | Feb 24 2008, 07:20 PM Post #13 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Conspiracy at least. |
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“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
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| Deleted User | Mar 7 2008, 08:00 PM Post #14 |
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Lawyers appeal return of felony murder charge in beheading case By Brad Kadrich Observer Staff Writer Defense attorneys for the two teenagers accused of killing a River Rouge man are appealing a Wayne County Circuit Court judge’s decision to reinstate a felony murder charge originally dismissed by a district court judge. While neither attorney would comment, the Observer has learned both lawyers filed appeals of Judge Annette Berry’s decision to the Michigan Court of Appeals Feb. 28. According to information on the Michigan Court of Appeals Web site, prosecutors have until March 20 to file an answer. Both lawyers also asked the Court of Appeals to delay the trial’s April 7 start date in order to hear the latest motions. In a motion hearing last month, Berry reinstated the felony murder charge against 18-year-old Alexander Letkemann of Westland and 17-year-old Plymouth Township resident Jean Pierre Orlewicz. The pair faces an April 7 trial date in the murder of 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen. They were originally charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and mutilation of a corpse. At the preliminary hearing in 35th District Court in November, Judge Michael Gerou refused to bind them over on the felony murder charge, brought because Orlewicz allegedly stole a gun from Sorensen after police say he killed him. Gerou ruled because the alleged theft occurred after the murder, it didn’t meet Michigan’s statutory requirement. In reinstating the charge, Berry, the Circuit Court judge, called it “a matter for the jury to decide.” Neither Raymond Cassar, the lawyer for Letkemann, nor Joseph Niskar, Orlewicz’s attorney, would comment due to a gag order imposed in the case. Orlewicz and Letkemann are charged with luring Sorensen to the Canton garage of Orlewicz’s grandfather, killing him, beheading him and then burning and disposing of his body in a Northville Township field. bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (734) 459-2700 Originally published March 7, 2008 http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...NEWS15/80307028 |
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| Deleted User | Apr 1 2008, 10:44 AM Post #15 |
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Teen in beheading case plans to argue self-defense 1 suspect's lawyer tells judge strategy BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 1, 2008 Prosecutors call it a thrill kill, but one of the teen suspects charged with stabbing and beheading a River Rouge man plans to argue self-defense. The trial for Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth is scheduled to begin April 7 in Wayne County Circuit Court. He is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing, beheading and burning of 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen on Nov. 7. Alexander Letkemann, 18, of Westland also is charged with first-degree murder and is to go on trial with Orlewicz. Orlewicz's attorney James Thomas has portrayed Sorensen in court documents as a violent bully who preyed on young people. He recently filed four personal protection orders taken out against Sorensen by others not connected to the case in an attempt to use them as evidence. During Monday's pretrial conference, Judge Annette J. Berry asked Thomas to declare his trial defense strategy. "Self-defense," Thomas said. Berry said she would decide at a later date whether to allow the PPOs to be evidence. The hearing then took an intriguing turn when prosecutors played a recorded jailhouse conversation between Letkemann and his father, Peter Letkemann. During the Jan. 18 conversation, Peter Letkemann told his son that he planned to release a written statement several days before jury selection in the trial. "It's gonna be amazing," the elder Letkemann said. "All right," his son said from the Wayne County Jail. Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran said he was so incensed that he had to be talked out of charging Peter Letkemann with obstruction of justice for what he believed to be a plan to taint potential jurors. Called before Berry, Peter Letkemann said he has not written out a statement and has merely been trying to keep his son's spirits up. "I'm not a devious person," he said. Berry cautioned him that using the media to influence potential jurors could backfire. However, she stopped short of reinstating a gag order on family and friends of the suspects. Peter Letkemann agreed not to release any statement. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has said the teens killed Sorensen for a thrill. Letkemann wrote an eight-page statement to police and gave a video-recorded statement, which was played during a daylong preliminary exam in November. Letkemann told investigators that Orlewicz, known to friends as J.P., lured Sorensen to the garage of Orlewicz's grandfather in Canton before stabbing him from behind. "J.P. shut the door behind and just went and did it," Letkemann told police. "I couldn't even react. It knocked the wind out of me." Letkemann said Orlewicz stripped Sorensen down to his underwear and cut his head off with a saw. He said he assisted in loading the body only to clear a $100 debt to Orlewicz. Police found Sorensen's head in the Rouge River several days after he was killed. Contact BEN SCHMITT at 313-223-4296 or bcschmitt@freepress.com. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...10377/1004/NEWS |
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| Deleted User | Apr 2 2008, 08:37 AM Post #16 |
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WAYNE COUNTY Guilty plea is entered in man's beheading BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 2, 2008 One of the teens accused in the beheading case described by prosecutors as a thrill kill pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday, sources close to the case told the Free Press and its reporting partner, WDIV-TV Local 4. Alexander Letkemann, 18, of Westland, faces 20 to 30 years in prison for his role in the Nov. 7 stabbing, burning and beheading of Daniel Sorensen, 26, of River Rouge. The teen is to be sentenced April 23. As part of the plea deal, first-degree murder charges were dropped. It's unclear whether Letkemann will testify against codefendant Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth, who is to go to trial on a first-degree murder charge Monday in Wayne County Circuit Court. Orlewicz's attorney James Thomas has portrayed Sorensen in court documents as a bully and told Circuit Judge Annette Berry this week he plans to use a self-defense strategy. Letkemann wrote an eight-page statement to police and gave a videotaped statement, which was played during a daylong preliminary examination in November. Letkemann told investigators that Orlewicz, known to friends as J.P., lured Sorensen to Orlewicz's grandfather's garage in Canton before stabbing him. Letkemann said Orlewicz stripped Sorensen to his underwear and cut his head off with a saw. He said he helped load the body into a truck only to clear a $100 debt to Orlewicz. Orlewicz is accused of stabbing Sorensen, burning the body, and disposing of his head in the Rouge River. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...20425/1001/NEWS |
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| Deleted User | Apr 3 2008, 10:36 AM Post #17 |
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Judge rules that beheading victim's past PPOs can't be used in trial By BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 2, 2008 A judge in the so-called thrill kill case has ruled that personal protection orders taken out years ago against the 26-year-old victim, who was beheaded and burned, are not relevant in the upcoming trial of a teen charged in the killing. Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette Berry ruled that the four PPOs issued in Illinois and Wayne County are not connected to the relationship between the deceased, Daniel Sorensen of River Rouge, and Jean Pierre Orlewicz, the Plymouth 18-year-old charged with his Nov. 7 slaying. “The said PPOs are too remote to be relevant for the purposes of self-defense,” Berry wrote in her order. Orlewicz is scheduled to go to trial Monday on a first-degree murder charge in Wayne County Circuit Court. Berry also ruled that Sorensen's MySpace Web page is inadmissible evidence. The page includes pictures of guns, drugs and images from the movie “Scarface,” according to court records. The rulings are a possible blow to Orlewicz, who now stands alone after his friend Alexander Letkemann, also 18, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in exchange for dismissal of a first-degree murder charge. Orlewicz’s lawyers wanted to use PPOs taken out by people unrelated to the case to paint Sorensen as a bully. Letkemann, listed as a witness in the upcoming trial against Orlewicz, is scheduled to be sentenced April 23. Letkemann wrote an eight-page statement to police and gave a videotaped statement, which was played during a daylong preliminary examination in November. Letkemann told investigators that Orlewicz, known to friends as J.P., lured Sorensen to Orlewicz's grandfather's garage in Canton before stabbing him. Letkemann said Orlewicz stripped Sorensen to his underwear and cut his head off with a saw. He said he helped load the body into a truck and helped clean the scene only to clear a $100 debt to Orlewicz. Orlewicz is accused of stabbing Sorensen, burning the body, and disposing of his head in the Rouge River. Letkemann led police to the head in Hines Park. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...NEWS02/80402101 |
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| Deleted User | Apr 9 2008, 09:51 AM Post #18 |
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Self-defense or a deliberate plan? Trial of teen in beheading case begins Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran on Monday called the murder of Daniel Sorensen a premeditated act that was the result of a well-thought-out, deliberate plan. Defense attorney Joseph Niskar called Sorensen’s death an act of self-defense and a case of panic in its aftermath. And a jury of 14 people - four women, 10 men, 12 primary and two alternates - will now have to decide which is true. Moran and Niskar, representing Plymouth Township teenager Jean Pierre Orlewicz, laid out the outlines of their respective cases in opening statements on the first day of Orlewicz’s trial in the Wayne County Circuit Courtroom of Judge Annette Berry. Orlewicz is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and mutilation of a dead body in the death of Sorensen, a 26-year-old River Rouge man who died Nov. 7. Police say Sorensen was lured to the Canton Township garage of Orlewicz’s grandfather, where they say the murder took place. Sorensen’s decapitated and burned body was found the next day in a Northville Township field. His head was found in the Rouge River a couple of days later. If convicted, Orlewicz, a Canton High School senior, faces life in prison without parole. In his opening statement, Moran told the jury Orlewicz had planned the murder out for days. “The weekend before, (Orlewicz) had told friends words to the effect of, ‘I wish I could get away with murder,’” Moran told the jury. Moran said witnesses would testify Sorensen was lured to the garage ostensibly to extort some $3,000 from a third teen. According to the prosecutor, Orlewicz told Sorensen to bring a gun. In his opening statement, Moran said the murder was actually supposed to happen the day before - Tuesday, Nov. 6 - but was aborted when Sorensen was dropped off in Canton by his girlfriend, who would then have been a witness to Sorensen’s last whereabouts. The plan was delayed a day, Moran said, and Sorensen was killed Nov. 7. Niskar painted a different picture, calling Orlewicz “a loving son, a loving brother, a loving friend” and saying the teenager acted in self-defense after an angry Sorensen, upset that the intended victim of the extortion hadn’t shown up, pulled a gun on Orlewicz. “It was never a plan to kill (Sorensen),” Niskar told jurors. “It was a plan to extort money. (Sorensen) pulled a gun on (Orlewicz), a fight ensued and in self-defense (Sorensen) was killed.” Niskar painted the victim, Sorensen, as someone who carried a gun and a knife, and tried to “influence teenagers ... into his world of crime, into his world of drugs.” It was a tough thing for Sorensen’s parents, James and Kimberly Sorensen of Westland, to hear. “It’s hard,” James Sorensen admitted. “There are two sides to everything, and we just have to deal with that. We just want (the jury) to listen.” Assistant Wayne County Medical Examiner Dr. Leigh Hlavaty testified Sorensen had suffered 13 stab wounds prior to his death. Two of the wounds - one to the chest that pierced the heart and another to the upper abdomen that struck the liver - likely combined to cause Sorensen’s death, she said. She also said the lack of soot in Sorensen’s airway indicated his body - 80 percent of which was badly burned - had been burned after his death. Hlavaty also testified there were no drugs or alcohol in Sorensen’s system at the time of his death. Observer staff writer Brad Kadrich can be reached at bkadrich@hometownlife.com or (734) 459-2700. http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...NEWS12/80409007 |
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| Deleted User | Apr 11 2008, 01:34 PM Post #19 |
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WARNING: Detailed accounts Witness: Murder plan hatched weeks before By Brad Kadrich OBSERVER STAFF WRITER In his opening statement Monday, defense attorney Joseph Niskar told jurors in the trial of Jean Pierre Orlewicz that the death of Daniel Sorensen was an act of self-defense followed by a panicked attempt by a frightened teenager to cover the whole thing up. But the teenager who helped Orlewicz dispose of Sorensen's body testified Wednesday the whole thing was the end result of an elaborate plan to lure Sorensen to Canton and kill him because he owed Orlewicz $400 and had stolen a gun belonging to Orlewicz. ADVERTISEMENT And, although Alexander Letkemann agreed to help to erase his own $100 debt to Orlewicz, he testified Wednesday he couldn't watch Orlewicz behead Sorensen because "it was disgusting." Orlewicz, of Plymouth Township, is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and mutilation of a body in the death of Sorensen, a 26-year-old River Rouge man who died Nov. 7. Police say Sorensen was lured to the Canton Township garage of Orlewicz's grandfather, where they say the murder took place, by a fabricated plan to extort money from a teenager who'd recently come into an inheritance. Sorensen's decapitated and burned body was found the next day in a Northville Township field. His head was found in the Rouge River a couple of days later. If convicted, Orlewicz, a Canton High School senior, faces life in prison without parole. Letkeman, an 18-year-old from Westland, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of 20-30 years, plus another 10 years to run concurrently for mutilation of a corpse. Letkemann testified Wednesday it was Orlewicz who not only stabbed Sorensen repeatedly, but also beheaded and burned him. "(Orlewicz) went around him and cut his throat," Letkemann testified. "He was stabbing him with very quick motions. (Sorensen) kept trying to say things, and (Orlewicz) just kept stabbing him." ON THE STAND At one point, Letkemann testified, Orlewicz told him (Letkemann) to grab a second knife that was sitting on a car parked in the garage and "help, or he's going to win." Letkemann said he picked up the knife, but before he could use it he saw Orlewicz stab Sorensen in the back of the neck and then watched Sorensen sag back to the floor. "(Sorensen) was gasping for breath, but JP was telling him, 'Let it take over,'" Letkemann said. Letkemann, Wednesday's biggest witness who was on the stand for several hours, told the jury he left the garage during the beheading and said when he came back in, Orlewicz had Sorensen's head cradled in his hands and actually used one hand to move Sorensen's jaw. "He moved the jaw ... up and down and said, 'How's it going, Alex?' as if mimicking (Sorensen) saying it," Letkemann testified. Letkemann said he and Orlewicz, with help from a third friend, Isam Ayyash, loaded Sorensen's body into the back of Orlewicz's Chevy S-10 pickup and drove it to a field in Northville Township, where they dumped it. Letkemann said Orlewicz then doused the body with gasoline and set it afire. The pair then left Sorensen's car in a Meijer parking lot in Westland, and disposed of his head the following day by throwing it in the Rouge River in what Letkemann called a "desolate" part of Hines Park. Ayyash testified Wednesday he got a call from Orlewicz summoning him to the Canton garage and, when he got there, he testified he kicked the body, which at that point had been wrapped in a tarp, because he thought "it was some kind of sick joke." Ayyash said he helped Orlewicz load the body into the truck, then gave Orlewicz his jeans and T-shirt because Orlewicz's clothing was bloody. "He said he stabbed (Sorensen) and killed him ... he cut his head off ... the head was in a blue container," Ayyash testified. Letkemann and another teen, Alex Mullins, who testified Tuesday, said the killing had originally been planned for a day earlier. Mullins, a friend of Orlewicz who initially denied any involvement in the crime, said Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court he stood "lookout" outside the Canton Township garage of Orlewicz's grandfather during the aborted murder attempt the day before the actual killing. TEEN TESTIFIES Mullins testified the death was actually supposed to take place Nov. 6, and Orlewicz asked him to be the lookout in case his (Orlewicz's) father showed up. Mullins said Orlewicz helped him cover garage windows with a "somewhat worn" tarp, and that Orlewicz covered the garage floor "with a blue tarp ... it looked new." Under questioning from Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran, Mullins said he first heard Orlewicz talk about killing Sorensen "weeks earlier." "He said he wanted to stab him ... bag him in a tarp ... and hang him upside down burning," Mullins testified. "JP told (former co-defendant Alexander Letkemann) and me that (Sorensen) owed him money and he was angry about it." Police say Orlewicz abandoned the idea of killing Sorensen on Nov. 6 because Sorensen had been dropped off by his girlfriend, who would then have been a witness to Sorensen's last whereabouts. After the failed plan on Tuesday, Mullins said Orlewicz asked him to come back the next day (Nov. 7), but Mullins testified he decided not to. "At first I wasn't objecting, but eventually I ... decided I didn't want to be part of it," Mullins said. Mullins admitted on the stand Tuesday he had initially lied to police about his involvement, but told the truth when Canton police questioned him in the wake of a plea accepted by Orlewicz's former co-defendant, Westland teenager Alexander Letkemann. Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and mutilation of a corpse in return for his testimony. At sentencing later this month, Letkemann is expected to be sentenced to 20-30 years on the second-degree murder and 10 years on the mutilation, with the sentences to run concurrently. Mullins admitted Letkemann's plea was a factor in his decision to admit his involvement. He said he didn't tell the truth initially because "I was scared and didn't want to get dragged into it." Other witnesses testified about Sorensen's movements the day of his death. Girlfriend Breanna Milowe, 21, of Redford said Sorensen told her he had to "meet JP" the afternoon of Nov. 7, and arranged to see each other again later that evening when Milowe got out of class. The pair met on Myspace.com about a month before Sorensen's death. Ashleigh Scarlett, 23, of Livonia testified she and Sorensen shared some fast food at the Subway restaurant at which Scarlett worked. Scarlett testified Sorensen left shortly after 3 p.m., saying he had to "meet with JP." She testified Sorensen told her he and "JP" were going to get $3,000 from an unidentified friend of JP's. Sorensen told Scarlett "they owed it" to them. When asked if "JP" was in the courtroom, both Milowe and Scarlett identified Orlewicz. The first two days of testimony saw lawyers for both sides follow the path they each mapped out in their opening statements. Moran Monday called the murder a premeditated act that was the result of a well-thought-out, deliberate plan. Defense attorney Niskar called Sorensen's death an act of self-defense and a case of panic in its aftermath. Niskar called Orlewicz "a loving son, a loving brother, a loving friend" and said the teenager acted in self-defense after an angry Sorensen, upset that the intended victim of the extortion hadn't shown up, pulled a gun on Orlewicz. bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (734) 459-2700 http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../804100573/1032 Defendant talked of killing days prior By Brad Kadrich Observer Staff Writer Friends heard Jean Pierre Orlewicz talking several days before the death of Daniel Sorensen about his desire to get away with murder, according to testimony on the fourth day of the Plymouth teen's trial in Wayne County Circuit Court. Three friends said from the witness stand Thursday they heard Orlewicz say, "I wish I could kill someone" on Saturday, Nov. 3, just days before police say Orlewicz stabbed and beheaded Sorensen in the Canton garage belonging to Orlewicz's grandfather. ADVERTISEMENT Levi Webb, 18 of Westland, said Orlewicz made the statement to him standing in the driveway of another friend's house where several teenagers had gathered to hang out that Saturday. "I said, 'You know you can get life in prison for that,' and he said, 'I know, I just wish I could get away with it,'" Webb testified. "I said, 'That's messed up,' and I walked away." The statement was overheard by at least two other members of the group, including Sean Gaikowski, at whose Livonia house the gathering was held. Both Gaikowski and 14-year-old Kevin Carrier, a Livonia Churchill freshman, said they also heard the remark. The teens admitted on cross examination they never heard Orlewicz mention Sorensen's name, and Carrier said he "didn't take him seriously." Orlewicz is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder and mutilation of a body. He faces life in prison without parole if convicted. A day after the trial's most dramatic testimony - a graphic description of the murder by former co-defendant Alexander Letkemann that had observers weeping and forced Judge Annette Berry to break to give jurors a breather - prosecutors went about presenting forensic details they say connect Orlewicz to the homicide. Jennifer Dohring, a forensic scientist with the Michigan State Police crime lab in Northville, testified she took at least nine blood samples from stains found in the garage where the murder allegedly took place. Fellow forensic scientist Andrea Halvorson, who works in the MSP DNA unit in Northville, said she tested blood samples found on Orlewicz's Chevy S-10 and in the Canton garage, and compared them to samples taken from Sorensen's head and body. The samples matched, Halvorson testified. Guy Nutter, a trace evidence examiner in the same MSP lab, said he compared casts made of tire tracks and footprints found at the Northville Township field where Sorensen's body was discovered with imprints he made from shoes found at Orlewicz's Plymouth Township home and the rear tires on Orlewicz's truck. Those, too, Nutter testified, were a match. No testimony will be heard Friday, and prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case Monday morning. http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...5/80410014/1032 |
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| Deleted User | Apr 16 2008, 01:27 PM Post #20 |
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BEHEADING TRIAL Defendant's friend was truthful, parents say BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 16, 2008 Peter and Diane Letkemann traveled from their Westland home to the Wayne County Jail today for a weekly visit with their 18-year-old son, Alexander Letkemman. Alexander Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on April 1 in connection with the Nov. 7 stabbing death of Daniel Sorensen, 26, of River Rouge. Letkemann’s friend, Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth, is on trial for first-degree murder and jurors are deliberating his fate. He faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of first-degree murder. Peter Letkemann said he has talked to Sorensen’s parents, James and Kimberly, and called them “amazing people.” “They are two of the most gracious people I have ever met,” Peter Letkemann said. The elder Letkemann said he does not plan to wait for the verdict in Orlewicz’s case. He said he is completely focused on his son, who will be sentenced April 23 and faces 20 to 30 years in prison as part of a plea deal for his testimony. “He always wanted to tell the truth,” Peter Letkemann said of his son. “He did what he wanted to do and what he needed to do.” Letkemann testified last week that Orlewicz lured Sorensen to his grandfather's home in Canton and jumped him from behind when they walked into the garage. He said Orlewicz repeatedly stabbed Sorensen to death and then decapitated him with a hack saw. The only motive Letkemann could offer was that Orlewicz told him Sorensen owed him money and had his gun. He said he assisted in cleaning up the scene to clear a $100 debt to Orlewicz. Peter Lektemann said his son is eager to get sentencing over with and start his life over in prison. He said his son has an interest in music and designing guitars. “He’s got a shot at redemption,” Peter Letkemann said. “He told me: ‘I want a second chance.’ " http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...6#pluckcomments |
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