16 year old Davontae Sanford
Bill Proctor, Detroit Channel 7 Action News Investigator and founder of Proving Innocence, uncovers stunning new evidence that could rescue a teen from a life behind bars (wxyz.com).Imagine having a young 14 year old son, developmentally disabled and in special education, who after hearing shots in the neighborhood, went to check things out. He comes across a grizzly scene with several people having been just murdered. A couple hours later, as police are canvassing the neighborhood, your son steps forward telling the police that he has information about the murders. He is feeling "in the know" and is excited about being able to help the police. The police ask if they can take your son down to the station for more questioning. You agree.
This is the story of Davontae Sanford. (February 28, 2009)
March 19, 2009 Judge Sullivan ordered the prosecutor to have the Michigan State Police retest the Runyan Street ballistic evidence. The gun Devontae said he fired doesn't match what the previous tests concluded. Judge Sullivan wants a "firm, factual starting point" in the argument for a new trial. So, now there are two delays...what time it will take State Police to finish their tests and how long it will take the prosecutors office to finally "fix" the play-back technology, so Davonte's attorney with the State Appellate Defender's Office, Kim McGinnis, can review Vincent Smothers' Runyan St. confession. July 21, 2009 Davantae experienced a setback. Vincent Smothers, who earlier had admitted to having committed the murders which Davontae has been convicted, today refused to testify in court, invoking his 5th Amendment rights. No doubt Smother's attorney counseled him to not incriminate himself, understandably, but it's too bad that Smothers is heaping upon himself even more moral injustice than the murders themselves, by allowing a 14 year old boy (at that time) to be punished for his own acts. |
But he doesn't come home until the next day, and two hours later the police come back and arrest him for the murders. When the police asked to take your son down to the station for questioning, you didn't go with him nor did you get a lawyer to be present, because the police were just asking for information. They never said that your son was a suspect. And when it is all over, your now 15 year old boy is sentenced to 37 to 60 years in prison for murders you know he did not commit.