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| Homicide November 8; Westland Livonia Canton Plymouth | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 12 2007, 04:45 PM (6,272 Views) | |
| Doctor_Bojangles | Apr 16 2008, 10:11 PM Post #21 |
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I am glad this is all over. I used to know the Sorenson family many years ago. I didn't know Danny (as he used to be called) too well, he was 3-4 years younger then I was. From what I noticed, he seemed like a good kid, something must have happened to him that made him act the way he did. His parents are such nice people, it is really a shame this happened to them. RIP Daniel, you are in a better place. I hope you find peace. |
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| Vanna White | Apr 17 2008, 06:57 AM Post #22 |
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http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../804170589/1027 Jury: Teen guilty on all counts By Brad Kadrich OBSERVER STAFF WRITER What James Sorensen wanted most out of the trial of Jean Pierre Orlewicz was justice for his 26-year-old son, Daniel, whom Orlewicz was charged with killing. A Wayne County Circuit Court jury Tuesday gave it to him. After some 11 hours of deliberation over two days, the jury convicted Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth Township, of first-degree murder, felony murder and mutilation of a corpse. Judge Annette Berry had given the jury permission to consider second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, but after taking another look at several exhibits, the jury found Orlewicz guilty as charged. "I'm grateful our son received the justice he deserved," said the elder Sorensen, of Westland. "There's relief that everything worked out, but very sad, too. There's another family (Orlewicz's) that was sitting in this room, and their son is going away for the rest of his life. We have to keep that in balance." The jury was handed the case Tuesday afternoon, after defense lawyer James Thomas, who wasn't in court for the verdict, rested his case. They deliberated for nearly four hours Monday before Berry sent them home. They were back at it at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and returned the verdict shortly before 5 p.m. Berry set May 12 as the sentencing date. Orlewicz faces a mandatory life sentence without possibility of parole. Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Moran said he thought the gruesomeness of the crime, and the tender age of the defendant, caused the jury to take a long, thorough look. "They took their time and didn't rush to judgment," Moran said. "I've never seen a murder more (thoroughly) planned out. To me, there was no question it was first-degree murder. The jury took its time and came to the same conclusion." Joseph Niskar, another of Orlewicz's attorneys, declined to comment following the verdict. Orlewicz's family passed a phalanx of media without comment. While the prosecution presented forensic evidence tying Orlewicz to the murder, Moran said Wednesday the testimony of former co-defendant Alexander Letkemann played an important role in the conviction. Letkemann, 18 of Westland, pleaded guilty April 1 to second-degree murder, then described the murder in gruesome detail during testimony last week. "One of the reasons we agreed to the deal with (Letkemann) was he was cooperating with police," Moran said. "He led them to key evidence, he told the jury what happened." Moran said though he believed from the beginning it was a case of first-degree murder, the length of the jury's deliberation did give him pause to wonder. "It makes you nervous," Moran said. "You're on pins and needles. The gravity of the case ... and how horrific the acts, it took the jurors some time to come to grips with the idea an 18-year-old kid is capable of that." Orlewicz took the stand on Monday and claimed he killed Sorensen in self-defense after Sorensen threatened to kill him and accomplice Alexander Letkemann following an aborted extortion scheme that was supposed to take place in the garage of Orlewicz's grandfather's Canton Township home Nov. 7. But Moran argued in his closing statement the self-defense theory is "bogus." "(Orlewicz) wants you to believe he was afraid of (Sorensen)," Moran told jurors. "Why does he take (Sorensen) into the garage? Why not say (intended extortion victim Adam Duwe) wasn't coming? Why not do it outside? "It's because there was no (extortion) plan." Thomas argued if Sorensen's death was a planned murder, it would have happened differently. Citing testimony Orlewicz knew Sorensen carried a gun, Thomas argued his client, who used a paring knife in the attack, was woefully under-armed. "This was a crime where someone brought a knife to a gunfight," Thomas argued. "This was a crime where (Sorensen) was known to carry a gun." The jury clearly didn't buy Orlewicz's self-defense claims, a fact for which Sorensen's family and friends were grateful. "Just, 'Thank you,'" Dena Hasan of Westland, a friend of Sorensen, said of her reaction to the verdict. "I know a family just lost their son, but we lost someone a long time ago at (Orlewicz's) hand." bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (734) 459-2700 Originally published April 17, 2008 |
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| Deleted User | Apr 23 2008, 10:52 AM Post #23 |
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THE TRIAL OF JEAN PIERRE ORLEWICZ In wake of beheading trial, two parents recall son they knew BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 23, 2008 James Sorensen found out about his son's death in November when police showed up at his job at Aco Hardware. " 'This is the hardest part of our job,' " he recalls police telling him. Sorensen's mind raced with different scenarios: a car crash or a landscaping accident at one of the jobs his son worked. Then came the words "murder victim." His 26-year-old son, Daniel, had been identified through fingerprints as the body found in an undeveloped Northville Township subdivision. "It's our Danny. He's been murdered," he told his wife, Kimberly, 47, after rushing home. Detectives also warned him that news reports would reveal other unthinkable details: Someone had decapitated and burned their son's body and dumped it at the site at Hidden Ridge Road. But there was even more: "At this point, we haven't recovered his head," the detective said. It was too much to process then, and it's too much to process now. "Our whole world had just been pulled out from under us," James Sorensen, 52, said. The Sorensens of Westland now are decompressing from a grueling 7-day trial in which 18-year-old Jean Pierre Orlewicz of Plymouth Township was convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing Daniel Sorensen 13 times and subsequently beheading him. Orlewicz faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Orlewicz's friend, Alexander Letkemann, 18, of Westland, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against Orlewicz. Letkemann faces 20 to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced today by Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette Berry. Sorensen's parents spoke with the Free Press about their son's struggles with school, bullies and low self-esteem. Throughout the trial, there was testimony about the use of drugs, but the Sorensens said they have no knowledge of drug use or possession. Trouble with studies "I guess I am what they call a prodigy, but when I was younger I wasn't the most popular person," Daniel Sorensen wrote on a MySpace.com page now memorialized by his friends and family. He was born in Provo, Utah, and spent his early childhood living in family housing at the University of Utah where his father attended college. There, he met kids of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. And he loved socializing. "He hated to be alone," his mother said. "For him to sit and do nothing by himself was just torture. He wanted to be around people." The Sorensens moved to Michigan when their son was 6 to be with Kimberly Sorensen's parents. They enrolled him at Randolph Elementary in Livonia. But he had a hard time at school. Older kids bullied him to the point where his parents worried about his emotional stability. The Sorensens recalled a time where a student crossing guard was going home but told Daniel Sorensen that he would beat him up if he found out he left the sidewalk. Sorensen stood there at the school for an hour until his parents drove down and found him, his father said. By the time Daniel Sorensen got to fourth grade, school officials insisted that he be placed on the drug Ritalin to treat what they thought was a hyperactivity disorder, his parents said. But the Sorensens refused, fearing a misdiagnosis and possible side effects from the drug. They eventually pulled their son from school and placed him in a special education program. He remained a special-needs student and performed well enough to skip a grade. He returned to mainstream education at age 16, enrolling at Franklin High School in Livonia as a junior. But he still had to meet regularly with school counselors. "He felt stigmatized," James Sorensen said. "He wasn't well accepted, and it was frustrating for him." Because of his large size -- about 6-foot-2 and 200-plus pounds -- Daniel Sorensen joined the wrestling team his senior year, but quit after a month. "I think he was trying to make me proud," his dad now says. "And I was. Looking back, I wish I had done more." Soon after quitting the team, Daniel Sorensen quit school and picked up jobs at fast-food restaurants. By 18, he made a decision that would hinder him for the rest of his life. An Internet romance Sorensen met a girl on the Internet. She told him she was 16. They chatted for several months before he decided to move in with her and her family in Illinois. The girl's mother, Jo Taylor, took him in for a couple months. "He was a very good kid, very respectful," Taylor told the Free Press. "I loved him like one of my own." But Taylor's daughter actually was 14. And she and Sorensen had developed a romantic relationship. Her then-stepfather did not approve and reported Sorensen to the police. He eventually was convicted of a misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct charge and sentenced to 12 months probation. He also had to register as a sex offender. Taylor, 44, who now lives in Ohio, said her ex-husband was abusive and forced her and her daughter to prosecute Sorensen. The daughter, Ashley Bentsen, now 22 and living in South Dakota, said the two cared deeply for each other. The Free Press typically does not name victims of sexual offenses, but Bentsen agreed to her name being used for this story. "Dan was sweet and sincere, and he had a wonderful personality," Bentsen told the Free Press. The two remained friends up until his death. Taylor also said that her ex-husband forced her to take out a personal protection order Oct. 5, 2000, against Sorensen. She included allegations that he trashed her house and threatened her, which she now says are untrue. Her ex-husband also took out a PPO the same day. Although Sorensen remained friends with the teenager and her mother, the sex offender registry dogged him every time he tried to get a job. He worked various jobs at restaurants, drug stores and once as a waiter at Macaroni Grill, but didn't hold those jobs for long. He also moved in and out of his parents' home, which sometimes created tension. "As he got older, he needed to learn how to stand on his own two feet, because we weren't always going to be there," Kimberly Sorensen said. "Sometimes he wasn't happy to hear that because he felt like he didn't have anywhere to go." Sorensen's portrayal at trial During Orlewicz's trial, defense lawyers tried to portray Daniel Sorensen as a gun-toting, 250-pound intimidator who preyed on younger kids. Orlewicz testified that Sorensen told him he had Mafia connections, a notion Sorensen's father laughs at. It's true that Sorensen purchased a gun shortly before his death, his parents said. He was living in River Rouge with a female friend and told his parents that he bought the gun for protection after the house next door was shot up in a drive-by shooting. And there were two other PPOs that Orlewicz's lawyers tried to introduce at trial: one from June 2002 filed by a 27-year-old woman in Wayne County; the second filed May 2007 in Wayne County by a 22-year-old man. Both claimed that Sorensen threatened to harm them. But Judge Berry ruled all the PPOs were irrelevant. "I don't want to give the impression that Dan was perfect," his dad said. "Dan had issues with specific people for specific reasons. "He was a big guy. He could be intimidating. I do not think he was physically violent." Daniel Sorensen's friend Jennifer Palmer, 23, of Livonia said Sorensen might have talked a big game but he never got violent with anyone. "Dan was just a goofball," Palmer said. "He's not the guy they tried to make him out to be at trial." Sorensen's parents surmised that he met Orlewicz, known to friends as J.P., through a friend who lived at a nearby apartment complex. They remember one occasion when Orlewicz came to their home. "He stood right there in that doorway," James Sorensen said, pointing to his front door. "Dan said, 'This is my friend, J.P.' He didn't look up, he just kind of mumbled: 'Hi.' " Police arrested Orlewicz two days after the Nov. 7 killing and accused him of luring Daniel Sorensen to a garage in Canton where he stabbed him. James Sorensen and his wife immediately recognized Orlewicz on television as prosecutors described a so-called thrill killing. "I know that kid," he told his wife. "That's the kid Danny brought to the house a couple of times." A thankful father Although James Sorensen remembers meeting Orlewicz, he said he never met the codefendant, Letkemann. Though he's thankful for Letkemann's testimony in the trial, Sorensen said he's disappointed in him for not stopping the crime. "In order to make sure that J.P. paid for his crime, they had to have Alex," said Sorensen, who plans to attend the sentencing today. "I don't know how Alex is going to do in prison. That's going to be the roughest challenge that this young man will ever face in his life." Still, Sorensen, a strongly-devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said he prays for Letkemann and his family. "If I'm alive 20 years from now, I'll go to the parole hearing and I'll ask them to release him," Sorensen said. "Good Lord willing, when I'm 71 years old, as the parent of the victim, I would do that." Contact BEN SCHMITT at 313-223-4296 or bcschmitt@freepress.com. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...30414/1001/NEWS |
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| Deleted User | Apr 23 2008, 11:13 AM Post #24 |
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THE TRIAL OF JEAN PIERRE ORLEWICZ Letkemann to spend 20-30 years in prison Teen says he can't explain why he participated in murder BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 23, 2008 A Wayne County judge today sentenced a Westland man to 20 to 30 years in prison for assisting in the stabbing and beheading of a River Rouge man. Alexander Letkemann, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on April 1 in connection with the Nov. 7 stabbing death of Daniel Sorensen, 26, of River Rouge. His friend, Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth Township was convicted last week of first-degree murder in Sorensen's death, and faces a mandatory life sentence on May 12. With a courtroom full of friends and family, Letkemann , dressed in green jail clothing, apologized to Sorensen’s parents, James and Kimberly Sorensen and said he’s looking forward to a second chance after prison. “I’d like to say that I can’t find enough words to say how sorry I am for what I did,” Letkemann said. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Annette Berry asked Letkemann: “Why didn’t you just walk away and tell somebody about the plan to kill Mr. Sorensen?” Letkemann answered: “I can’t even find the reason myself.” Berry said Letkemann could have stopped put a halt to the plan to kill Sorensen. “You didn’t just fail yourself sir, you failed your parents,” she said. “Surely your parents raised you to be better than this.” “They did,” he said. Sorensen’s parents, James and Kimberly, both told Letkemann that they have forgiven him. “I pray that you will be strong … as you start your journey of redemption,” James Sorensen said. “Please make something good of your life. Keep the light shining in front of you.” Kimberly Sorensen said: “I do forgive Alex Letkemann. Do I understand why he participated in the way that he did? No. Alex will pay a heavy price for his grave mistake as he should. But I feel remorse for the life.” Letkemann testified during the seven-day trial that Orlewicz lured Sorensen to his grandfather's home in Canton and jumped him from behind. He said Orlewicz repeatedly stabbed Sorensen to death and then decapitated him with a hacksaw. He said Orlewicz used a blowtorch to try to burn off Sorensen’s fingerprints. The only motive Letkemann could offer was that Orlewicz told him Sorensen owed him money and had his gun. Prosecutors have said Orlewicz killed Sorensen for a thrill. Letkemann said he assisted in cleaning up the scene to clear a $100 debt to Orlewicz and accompanied him to an empty lot in Northville Township where they dumped Sorensen’s torso. Orlewicz doused the torso in gasoline and set it on fire before speeding off. Letkemann said Orlewicz discarded Sorensen’s head in the Rouge River in Hines Park. Berry again and again asked Letkemann to explain why he participated. “What was going through your mind, sir?” she asked. “My mind froze,” Letkemann said. Berry was unmoved. “My God, you were a Boy Scout,” she said. “How does one lose their way like this? "You really don’t have any answers, do you, sir.” Letkemann’s attorney, Raymond Cassar, told the judge: “He’s told me 100 times, ‘I wish I could have stopped it.' ” http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...NEWS02/80423029 |
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| Deleted User | Jan 27 2009, 12:32 AM Post #25 |
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Plymouth Township teen convicted in beheading seeks new trial By Brad Kadrich • Observer Staff Writer • January 26, 2009 Jean Pierre Orlewicz, the 18-year-old Plymouth Township resident convicted last year of killing and beheading a River Rouge man, finds out next month whether he’ll get another day in court. Orlewicz, sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing and dismembering the body of 26-year-old Daniel Sorenson, is scheduled to appear before Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow in a motion hearing set for Feb. 13. The hearing, designed to seek a new trial for Orlewicz, reportedly will include testimony from a defense expert. However, Detroit attorney Elizabeth Jacobs, who is handling Orlewicz’s appeal, declined to discuss the hearing in any detail, other than to confirm the date. Likewise Maria Miller, spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, declined comment, citing a policy of not talking about cases on appeal. Orlewicz was convicted in April 2008 in the November 2007 death of Sorenson, who died in the garage of Orlewicz’s grandfather. Orlewicz then beheaded Sorensen, burned his fingertips in an attempt to prevent identification, then dumped the body in a Northville field. The body was later identified by a fingerprint not destroyed in the burning. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy at the time labeled the killing a “thrill kill,” a label thought prejudicial by Orlewicz’s attorneys, who said the killing was done in self defense. The jury didn’t buy it, instead depending largely on the testimony of Alexander Letkemann of Westland, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony. Letkemann is serving a 20- to 30-year sentence. A third teen, Isam Ayyash, who helped Orlewicz load Sorensen’s body onto a truck, was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. No one else has been charged in the case. bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-8899 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090126/NEWS15/90126009/0/BUSINESS 18-year-old convicted in thrill kill seeks new trial BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 11, 2009 A Plymouth Township teen convicted last year in the thrill kill beheading case, which gained national attention, will receive a hearing in two weeks on a motion for a new trial. Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, says through appellate lawyer Elizabeth Jacobs that a judge denied trial lawyers the right to fully investigate Orlewicz’s mental state. A hearing is set for Feb. 27 in front of Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow. Jacobs said Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette Berry prevented a psychiatrist, Gerald Shiener of Birmingham, from testifying in the case. Shiener interviewed Orlewicz once in jail and thought a second interview was necessary when Berry ruled in a March 31 pretrial hearing that he would not be allowed to testify, Jacobs said. “They were still investigating a defense and a judge was interfering with this,” Jacobs said. Orlewicz, known as J.P., claimed self-defense at trial last spring. • VIDEO: See Orlewicz testify at his trial http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=videonetwork&videoID=1030167644 Jurors convicted Orlewicz of luring his 26-year-old friend Daniel Sorensen to a Canton home on Nov. 7, 2007. Once they entered the garage, Orlewicz slit Sorensen's throat from behind and stabbed him 12 more times. He then beheaded Sorensen with a hacksaw and burned his fingertips with a blowtorch. Prosecutors from the beginning labeled the case a thrill kill. Orlewicz is serving a mandatory life sentence for first-degree murder. Orlewicz's accomplice, Alexander Letkemann, 19, of Westland, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on April 1 and testified during the trial. Letkemann testified that Orlewicz told him Sorensen owed him money and had his gun. Letkemann is serving 20 to 30 years in prison. Morrow will conduct the hearing this month because Jacobs argued that Berry could not be objective after her comments during the May 12 sentencing of Orlewicz. Berry said at the time: “I am grateful that you are going away for the rest of your life. Because in my view, I believe you would have killed again.” http://www.freep.com/article/20090211/NEWS02/90211045/18-year-old+convicted+in+thrill+kill+seeks+new+trial Judge bans public, victim's family from 'thrill kill' hearing By Brad Kadrich • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • March 1, 2009 When Birmingham psychiatrist Gary Shiener testified Friday at a hearing to determine whether convicted killer Jean Pierre Orlewicz should get a new trial, not many people were around to hear it. Including the parents of Orlewicz's victim. Third Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow banned the public and the media from attending the hearing for Orlewicz, the Plymouth Township teenager convicted last spring in the stabbing and beheading death of Daniel Sorensen, a 25-year-old from River Rouge. While it was unclear what Shiener was saying Friday, he did interview Orlewicz once in jail prior to his trial last spring. However, Judge Annette Berry, who presided over Orlewicz's trial, ruled in a pretrial hearing March 31 that Shiener wouldn't be allowed to testify. Shiener had said at the time he thought a second interview was necessary, but it never happened. The victim's parents, Jim and Kim Sorensen of Westland, said they understood the judge's desire to protect the families, but they were disappointed at his decision. "This young man murdered our son," Jim Sorensen said. "We understand (Morrow) did it out of respect for the Orlewicz family and any sensitive issues that may have been raised. But we should have been in there." The closed hearing was requested by Orlewicz's attorney, Elizabeth Jacobs, who said afterward Shiener's testimony may not be heard in a potential new trial. "There's no reason to taint a jury panel, which is what happened the first time," she said. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she did not want the courtroom closed. "The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is at a loss to understand why the Sorensen family, the public and the press were excluded from the courtroom today," Worthy said in a statement. "There was no reason given by the court for this action. It is my firm belief that court proceedings should be an open and transparent process." Jurors convicted Orlewicz of killing Sorensen at his grandfather's Canton home Nov. 7, 2007. He then beheaded Sorensen with a hacksaw and burned his fingertips with a blowtorch. Orlewicz is serving a mandatory life sentence for first-degree murder. Accomplice Alexander Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against Orlewicz. Letkemann is serving a sentence of 20-30 years. The hearing was adjourned Friday and is expected to continue April 24. http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090301/NEWS03/903010515/1025/rss48 THRILL KILL BEHEADING Victim's family kept from hearing Orlewicz is serving life sentence BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 27, 2009 Updated at 12:01 p.m. A Wayne County judge today banned the public and the media from attending a hearing today for a Plymouth Township teen convicted last year in the thrill kill beheading case. Even the parents of the victim, Daniel Sorensen, were barred from the courtroom without explanation. Sorensen’s father, Jim Sorensen, said he was upset by the ruling from Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow, but would try to accept it. Today, a psychiatrist, Gerald Shiener of Birmingham, testified before Morrow on a request for a new trial by Jean Pierre Orlewicz’s appellate lawyer Elizabeth Jacobs. It’s unclear what Shiener said about the convicted killer, 18, who is serving a life sentence. “We understand the judge did it out of respect to the Orlewicz family and sensitive issues that may have been raised,” Jim Sorensen said. “But I felt we should have been in there. This young man murdered my son.” Free Press attorney Brian Wassom arrived to ask the judge to open the hearing. However, Morrow did not hear his argument while a deputy guarded a door to the courtroom. The hearing is expected to continue April 24. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she did not want the courtroom closed. Morrow did not take questions from the media. “The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is at a loss to understand why the Sorensen family, the public and the press were excluded from the courtroom today,” Worthy said in a statement. “There was no reason given by the court for this action. It is my firm belief that court proceedings should be an open and transparent process.” After the hearing, Jacobs said she requested the closed hearing, explaining that Shiener’s testimony may not be included in a trial if Orlewicz is granted one. “There’s no reason to taint a jury panel, which is what happened the first time,” she said. Jacobs previously said Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette Berry prevented Shiener from testifying in the case. Shiener interviewed Orlewicz once in jail and thought a second interview was necessary when Berry ruled in a March 31 pretrial hearing that he would not be allowed to testify, Jacobs said. Orlewicz, known as J.P., claimed self-defense at trial last spring. Jurors convicted Orlewicz of luring Daniel Sorensen, 25, to a Canton home on Nov. 7, 2007. Once they entered the garage, Orlewicz slit Sorensen's throat from behind and stabbed him 12 more times. He then beheaded Sorensen with a hacksaw and burned his fingertips with a blowtorch. Prosecutors from the beginning labeled the case a thrill kill. Orlewicz is serving a mandatory life sentence for first-degree murder. Orlewicz's accomplice, Alexander Letkemann, 19, of Westland, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on April 1 and testified during the trial. Letkemann testified that Orlewicz told him Sorensen owed him money and had his gun. Letkemann is serving 20 to 30 years in prison. Morrow held the hearing because Jacobs argued that Berry could not be objective after her comments during the May 12 sentencing of Orlewicz. Berry said at the time: “I am grateful that you are going away for the rest of your life. Because in my view, I believe you would have killed again.” http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990227033 Friday, February 27, 2009 Judge blocks parents of slain son, media from 'thrill kill' hearing Santiago Esparza and Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News DETROIT -- The parents of a murdered River Rouge man are upset that a judge today blocked them and others from a hearing for a Plymouth Township teen who killed their son. To the surprise of prosecutors, relatives and the media, Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce U. Morrow closed his court to hear a request for a new trial by Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, who was convicted last year of masterminding the stabbing, beheading and mutilation of Daniel Sorensen, 26, of River Rouge. Jim Sorensen, Daniel Sorensen's father, said Morrow explained closing the courtroom by saying "constitutionality is not absolute." Advertisement "This young man murdered my son. I feel we should have been able to attend the hearing," Jim Sorensen said from the hallway outside of Morrow's courtroom. "We don't get to be there to be a witness for our son." Orlewicz wants a new trial, claiming he had inadequate lawyers and wasn't allowed to present testimony about his mental health. The case drew national attention when Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy described the slaying as a "thrill killing." "The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is at a loss to understand why the Sorensen family, the public and the press were banned from the courtroom in the Orlewicz case today," Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. "The court did not state a reason for taking this action. It is my firm belief that the court proceedings should be ... open and transparent." Orlewicz's new attorney, Elizabeth Jacobs, said she sought the closure to discuss subjects that wouldn't be admitted if the judge granted a new trial. "There is no sense tainting a jury," Jacobs said. Jacobs praised Morrow for closing the hearing, which will be continued April 24. It was unclear if the hearing will be open to the public. Morrow did not return calls to explain his decision. Orlewicz was sent to prison for life after a jury didn't buy his testimony that he killed Sorensen in self-defense. Another teen testified Orlewicz asked him to help prepare a garage in Livonia for the killing, and then helped dump Sorensen's torso in Northville Township and his head in the Rouge River. Alexander Letkemann, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving 20 to 30 years in prison. Jacobs said the sentencing judge, Annette Berry, should not hear today's request because of her comments at Orlewicz's sentencing in May. "I have to say I am grateful the jury convicted you, sir... I am grateful that you are going away for the rest of your life because in my view, I believe you would have killed again," Berry said. Jacobs claims Berry also improperly prevented the defense from presenting three expert witnesses who were expected to testify about Orlewicz's mental condition and prior psychiatric treatment. The request for a new trial also claims Orlewicz received inadequate counsel from his previous legal team headed by James C. Thomas, who later defended former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Sorensen also said that prosecutors led him to believe that Orlewicz will claim self-defense as a reason to receive a new trial. Sorensen said the self-defense claim is a bogus one, but he wants Orlewicz to exhaust every legal avenue available so that there are no excuses for him not to remain in prison. "He would've had every chance he deserved," Sorensen said in hushed tones while flanked by his wife, Kim, and a Wayne County sheriff's deputy. "That is the way the system works." You can reach Santiago Esparza at (313) 222-2127 or sesparza@detnews.com. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902270421 Public barred from beheading case BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 28, 2009 A Wayne County judge banned the public, news media and even the family of a murder victim from attending a hearing Friday for a Plymouth Township teen convicted last year of beheading a man. Jim Sorensen, father of victim Daniel Sorensen, said he was upset by Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow's ruling but would try to accept it. Morrow gave no explanation for his order. A psychiatrist, Gerald Shiener of Birmingham, testified Friday before Morrow on a request for a new trial by Jean Pierre Orlewicz's appellate lawyer Elizabeth Jacobs. It's unclear what Shiener said about Orlewicz, 18, who is serving a life sentence. "We understand the judge did it out of respect to the Orlewicz family and sensitive issues that may have been raised," Sorensen said. "But I felt we should have been in there. This young man murdered my son." Free Press attorney Brian Wassom made a request that the judge open the hearing. However, Morrow did not hear his argument, and a deputy guarded a door to the courtroom. The hearing is expected to continue April 24. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she did not want the courtroom closed. "The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is at a loss to understand why the Sorensen family, the public and the press were excluded from the courtroom today," Worthy said in a statement. After the hearing, Jacobs said she requested the closed hearing, explaining that Shiener's testimony may not be included in a trial if Orlewicz is granted one. "There's no reason to taint a jury panel, which is what happened the first time," she said. Jurors convicted Orlewicz of luring Daniel Sorensen, 26, to a Canton home Nov. 7, 2007. Once there, Orlewicz slit Sorensen's throat and stabbed him 12 times. He then beheaded Sorensen with a hacksaw and burned his fingertips with a blowtorch. Orlewicz is serving life in prison for first-degree murder. Contact BEN SCHMITT at 313-223-4296 or bcschmitt@freepress.com. http://www.freep.com/article/20090228/NEWS02/902280311/1199/PRINT/Public+barred+from+beheading+case Saturday, February 28, 2009 Detroit Beheading hearing closed Judge shuts out family as teen requests new trial Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News DETROIT -- In a move that caught prosecutors and the victim's family off guard, Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce U. Morrow closed a hearing Friday, as a Plymouth Township teen convicted of beheading a man last year asked for a new trial. The judge didn't explain his decision to keep the public out of the two-hour hearing for Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, sent to prison for life for masterminding the stabbing, beheading and mutilation of Daniel Sorensen, 26. The gruesome murder drew nationwide attention, and the trial was televised live on TruTV after Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy described the slaying as a "thrill killing." Sorensen's parents joined reporters who were forced to wait in a hallway outside the courtroom Friday. "We don't get to be there to be a witness for our son," Jim Sorensen said, standing beside his wife, Kim. "This young man murdered my son. I feel we should have been able to attend the hearing." Sorensen said the judge explained closing the courtroom to him with an obscure statement that "Constitutionality is not absolute." Worthy, whose prosecutors participated in Friday's closed hearing, later issued a statement that said she could offer no explanation for why the session was secret. "The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is at a loss to understand why the Sorensen family, the public and the press were banned from the courtroom in the Orlewicz case today," the statement said. "The court did not state a reason for taking this action. It is my firm belief that court proceedings should be ... open and transparent." Cooley Law School professor Curt Benson said the closed hearing was "extraordinarily unusual" without specific reasons cited on the public record by the judge, as required by court rule in Michigan. Orlewicz wants a new trial, claiming his original trial judge didn't allow testimony about his past psychiatric treatments and his state of mental health at the time of Sorensen's slaying. Orlewicz testified he was in fear of Sorensen, who had falsely implied he was a mob enforcer. The hearing will be continued April 24, but it is unclear if that portion will be open to the public. Morrow did not return calls to explain his decision. You can reach Santiago Esparza at (313) 222-2127 or sesparza@detnews.com. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902280357 |
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| Deleted User | May 20 2009, 06:58 PM Post #26 |
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New trial sought in '07 killing, decapitation Psychiatrist: Teen was abused BY BEN SCHMITT • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • May 20, 2009 A psychiatrist for killer Jean Pierre Orlewicz testified in a closed hearing that the teen said he was physically and emotionally abused by his mother and not aided by a passive father, according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by the Free Press. Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow barred the public from the Feb. 27 hearing, a decision that the state Court of Appeals reversed. As a result, the Free Press obtained the transcript Tuesday in which Orlewicz's lawyer, Elizabeth Jacobs, argued for a new trial. • PDF: Transcript from closed hearing - 82 pgs. http://www.freep.com/uploads/pdfs/2009/05/0519%20orlewicz%20transcript.pdf Last year, jurors convicted Orlewicz, 19, of Plymouth Township of stabbing 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen to death on Nov. 7, 2007, and subsequently decapitating him. But psychiatrist Gerald Shiener of Birmingham testified in the Feb. 27 hearing for a new trial that Orlewicz's mother, Charlotte Orlewicz, once chased her son into a bedroom, then tried to pull him out by his legs as he cowered under his bed, holding a leg of the bed. The result of all this, the psychiatrist claimed, was a youth whose reaction was "desperate or catastrophic." "He described other encounters with his mother where she would be, unpredictably, physically abusive, which is more than just a child being spanked," Shiener said. Jacobs is seeking a new trial because Circuit Judge Annette Berry prevented Shiener from testifying in the case after Orlewicz's lawyers announced a self-defense strategy. Shiener interviewed Orlewicz once in jail and thought a second interview was necessary, Jacobs said. But Berry ruled that Shiener would not be allowed to testify. Shiener has since interviewed Orlewicz twice in prison. Now, prosecutors are seeking to disqualify Morrow, claiming he, in closing the hearing, refused to listen to their objections due to personal bias. Contact BEN SCHMITT : 313-223-4296 or bcschmitt@freepress.com http://www.freep.com/article/20090520/NEWS02/905200361 |
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| Deleted User | May 21 2009, 09:20 AM Post #27 |
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Orlewicz lawyer: Judge erred on verdict form May 19, 2009 Last month, the Michigan Court of Appeals granted a new trial to a man convicted of manslaughter because Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette Berry failed to include “not guilty” among the possible verdicts at which the jury could arrive. Jean Pierre Orlewicz is hoping they come to the same conclusion in his case. Elizabeth Jacobshe appellate attorney for Orlewicz, the Plymouth Township teen convicted last year in the November 2007 death and beheading of 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen, has filed a motion in Wayne Circuit Court claiming Berry did the same thing in Orlewicz’s case. Judge Bruce Morrow will hear Jacobs’ motion in a June 19 hearing. Morrow is hearing the case in the first place because of strong language Berry used with Orlewicz while sentencing him following his April 2008 conviction on first-degree murder charges. Orlewicz was convicted of luring Sorensen to the Canton home of Orlewicz’s grandfather, stabbing him and then disposing of the body after beheading him. Orlewicz was convicted largely on the testimony of a Westland teen who pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for his testimony. Morrow is also scheduled to hear arguments by Jacobs that Berry failed to allow adequate investigation into Orlewicz’s mental state in the original trial. Morrow drew some heat from the higher court last month by hearing arguments behind closed doors, with neither Orelwicz’s nor Sorensen’s family - or the public or media - allowed to attend. Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor, declined comment. Neither Berry nor Jacobs could be reached for comment. http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090519/NEWS15/90519020/1032 |
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| bailey | May 21 2009, 03:16 PM Post #28 |
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Poor baby...Do the crime do the time.... |
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| Deleted User | May 21 2009, 08:17 PM Post #29 |
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Hmmmm, Bailey - In this country EVERYBODY (innocent or guilty) is entitled to a FAIR trial. IF the judge screwed up in the instructions to the jury and IF that is grounds for a new trial, then JP has the right to request a new trial. The courts are not allowed to violate our rights and we are not allowed to take another's rights away, lest we want others to be allowed to take away ours. I am not saying he is innocent or guilty as charged, only that he, too, has rights. Even Mr. Sorenson understands as much. |
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| Deleted User | Jun 27 2009, 09:41 AM Post #30 |
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Doctor: Orlewicz ‘operated in fear' By Brad Kadrich OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • June 26, 2009 Defense attorney Elizabeth Jacobs contends the testimony of Birmingham psychiatrist Gerald Shiener would have been enough for a Wayne County jury to find her client, Plymouth Township teenager Jean Pierre Orlewicz, not guilty in his first-degree murder trial last year. Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Jeffrey Caminsky obviously doubts it, painting Shiener's testimony as nothing more than a regurgitation of the things Orlewicz told him during a series of interviews following Orlewicz's arrest November 2007 arrest. The two lawyers waded through more than four hours of Shiener's testimony Friday in a hearing on Jacobs' request for a new trial. Her client, Orlewicz, was convicted last year of killing and beheading 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen of River Rouge. Orlewicz claimed self-defense at trial, but the jury didn't buy it and convicted him on charges of first-degree murder and felony murder. Orlewicz is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole. The judge in the original trial, Annette Berry, refused to allow Shiener's testimony. Jacobs said in court Friday her client would have been acquitted had the doctor been allowed to testify. “If (Shiener) had been allowed to testify, I believe the jury would have come back with a verdict of not guilty due to self-defense,” Jacobs said. Shiener's report, which he said was based on an examination of police reports and interviews with Orlewicz, concluded the teen was “operating under a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm” when he lured Sorensen to his grandfather's garage in Canton, stabbed him multiple times, then beheaded him and dumped his body in a Northville field and set it on fire. The fear, the doctor testified, grew from Orlewicz's belief Sorensen was involved with organized crime. The doctor said Orlewicz also told him Sorensen threatened his girlfriend and family. Caminsky doesn't believe the doctor's testimony would have changed anything. “The defense has to show (Shiener's) testimony would have made a difference,” Caminsky said. “I don't believe that's true.” The hearing will continue before Judge Bruce Morrow. It was moved from Berry's docket because of strong statements she made about Orlewicz while sentencing him following the original trial. bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-8899 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090626/NEWS/306260001/1034/NEWS17/Doctor--Orlewicz-‘-operated-in-fear- |
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| Deleted User | Nov 7 2009, 09:07 AM Post #31 |
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Orlewicz hope for new trial in judge's hands By Brad Kadrich • Observer Staff Writer • November 7, 2009 Elizabeth Jacobs believes Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Annette Berry abused her discretion and denied Jean Pierre Orlewicz an adequate defense when she refused to allow testimony in Orlewicz’s trial for murder in the death of Daniel Sorenson. Jeffrey Caminsky disagrees and says that, while such testimony may have made for interesting listening, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the outcome of Orlewicz’s 2008 trial. Jacobs, Orlewicz’s appellate attorney, wants Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow to order a new trial for Orlewicz, the Plymouth Township teen who stabbed, beheaded and burned Sorenson in November 2007. Caminsky, a Wayne County assistant prosecutor, obviously opposes such a motion. And, after months of legal wrangling, psychiatric testimony and final arguments Friday, it’s finally up to Morrow, who told the lawyers he’d “try to have a decision for you by Thanksgiving.” At issue is Berry’s decision to stop a psychological examination of Orlewicz by Dr. Gerald Shiener and her contention Shiener’s testimony would have been irrelevant. Jacobs said the decision was an abuse of Berry’s judicial discretion and was tantamount to denying Orlewicz a right to counsel. During the hearing before Morrow, Shiener and two psychiatrists called by Caminsky testified about Orlewicz’s upbringing, his being diagnoses with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and whether he feared for his life when he entered the Canton garage of his grandfather and killed Sorensen. Jacobs said that, while it may not have resulted in an acquittal, she believes Orlewicz’s mental state may have been a factor in the jury’s decision whether to convict Orlewicz of first-degree murder or a lesser charge. “If it’s a battle of the experts, then it’s a battle of the experts,” Jacobs said. “But it should have happened in front of the jury. Berry abused her discretion ... it was a miscarriage of justice.” Caminsky said none of the doctors found any evidence Orlewicz was delusional at the time of the crime, and said there was “no evidence he would have misinterpreted what was happening.” “(Shiener’s) testimony, while interesting, would have had no effect on the fact-finders,” Caminsky said. “Whether Berry had allowed some of this testimony, it simply would have had no bearing on the outcome.” bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-8899 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20091107/NEWS15/91107009/Orlewicz+hope+for+new+trial+in+judge+s+hands |
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| Momof4 | Nov 8 2009, 10:59 AM Post #32 |
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There is a problem with the legal system here... he did, in fact, KILL A MAN. He planned for it, and did it - brutally. What is Jacobs trying to accomplish with an appeal. No wonder our judicial system is backed up. |
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| Deleted User | Dec 29 2009, 05:03 PM Post #33 |
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Judge grants Orlewicz a new trial Opinion says convicted killer was ‘denied effective counsel' By Brad Kadrich • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • December 24, 2009 Three days before Christmas, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow delivered the present Jean Pierre Orlewicz has been hoping for since his murder conviction last year. Morrow on Tuesday issued an opinion granting Orlewicz's motion for a new trial, saying psychiatric evidence ruled inadmissible by the original trial judge, Annette Berry, should have been allowed and granting the defense's motion for the new trial. Orlewicz's appellate attorney, Elizabeth Jacobs, had argued that keeping such testimony out of the original trial was tantamount to denying Orlewicz proper counsel. On Tuesday, following a hearing that stretched over several months, Morrow agreed. “The Sixth Amendment guarantees to every person the right to counsel,” Morrow wrote. “The order issued by the court ... denying the testimony of Drs. Billings, Speck and Shiener, denied defendant Orlewicz of the effective assistance of counsel. This denial deprived defendant Orlewicz of his right for a fair trial. “Therefore, this Court will grant defendant's motion for a new trial,” Morrow wrote. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has 21 days to appeal the decision. “We are baffled by the judge's decision, and believe that it is based upon a profound misunderstanding of the Sixth Amendment, the rules of evidence, and the rules of criminal procedure,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. “We are confident that the Court of Appeals will reverse the decision in relatively short order.” Jacobs understands that, pending Worthy's appeal, any new trial is a long way away. But that didn't dim the defense's attitude over Morrow's opinion. “We're very pleased the judge understood and found my client's rights had been violated,” Jacobs said Tuesday. “I believe the judge came to the correct decision. We believe, given the opportunity to present the case completely, a jury will return a verdict more compatible with the evidence.” The victim's parents, Jim and Kim Sorensen of Westland, were disappointed in Morrow's decision. “I'm not happy, because he's wrong,” Jim Sorensen said. “This isn't any more than I expected he would do. He's basically allowed the defense to do an end-around around the original trial and present a second defense, and I'm not happy with that. I'm comfortable the appellate court will evaluate everything and reverse Judge Morrow's decision. “The thing that's hard is it means it drags on a little bit more,” Sorensen added. “By no means do I think there will be a second trial.” Orlewicz was convicted last year of killing and beheading 26-year-old Daniel Sorensen of River Rouge, then dumping and burning his torso in a Northville field and disposing of the head in the Rouge River. Co-defendant Alex Letkemann of Westland pleaded guilty and testified against Orlewicz. But Berry denied the defense's motion for psychiatric testimony to be heard, setting up the defense's new motion. “We know we're a long way from going to a new trial,” Jacobs said. “But we're very pleased with (Morrow's) decision.” bkadrich@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-8899 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20091224/NEWS15/912240505/1032/Judge+grants+Orlewicz+a+new+trial |
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| LPS Reformer | Dec 29 2009, 05:48 PM Post #34 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
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| Deleted User | Jan 4 2010, 09:17 PM Post #35 |
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I am glad to see the justice system is working. Everyone, guilty or innocent, deserves a FAIR trial. |
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| Deleted User | Jun 16 2011, 04:24 AM Post #36 |
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Last Updated: June 15. 2011 3:42PM Court upholds 'thrill killing' conviction Candice Williams/ The Detroit News Detroit — The Michigan State Court of Appeals has overturned a Wayne County Circuit judge's decision to allow a new trial for a Plymouth Township man sentenced to life in prison for stabbing, beheading and burning an acquaintance in a 2007 "thrill killing." In December 2009, Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce U. Morrow granted Jean Pierre Orlewicz, now 21, a new trial because psychiatric testimony about his past was excluded during his original trial in 2008. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy appealed the ruling. Orlewicz was convicted in 2008 of killing Daniel Sorensen, 26, of River Rouge. In a decision published Tuesday, the court of appeals said it would reverse Morrow's decision and that "there is no dispute that defendant killed the victim, dismembered the victim's body and attempted to dispose of it by burning it." At issue was why the defendant committed the crime, the court stated. "Defendant has not presented to us any errors or infringements of his rights that warrant reversal, and he waived his public trial issue," the court stated. Orlewicz is serving a life sentence without parole in Sorensen's November 2007 death. Sorensen was killed in Orlewicz's grandfather's Canton Township garage. Beforehand, Orlewicz laid out a tarp and had knives, a blow torch, a hacksaw and cleaning supplies nearby. He stabbed Sorensen, then beheaded and burned him in an attempt to destroy his fingerprints. Another man, Alexander Letkemann, testified he was enlisted by Orlewicz to help with the killing for forgiveness of a $100 debt. Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving 20 to 30 years. cwilliams@detnews.com From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110615/METRO01/106150403/Court-upholds-‘thrill-killing’-conviction#ixzz1PQQx0090 |
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