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Judge Orders Davontae Sanford Released From Prison
On Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 10:00 a.m., Prosecutor Kym Worthy will address her decision to move to dismiss charges against Davontae Sanford and the State Police investigation. The press conference will be held in the 12th floor conference room of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, located in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, 1441 St. Antoine Street, Detroit, Michigan.
In the spring of 2015, a motion for relief from judgment was filed by Davontae Sanford's attorneys, and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy determined that the case warranted an investigation by an independent law enforcement agency. On May 4, 2015, Prosecutor Worthy requested that the Michigan State Police re-investigate the four homicides that occurred on Runyon Street in Detroit.
One year later, on May 20, 2016, the State Police submitted a report of their investigation. Included in that report is a recorded interview in which former Deputy Chief James Tolbert contradicts his sworn testimony that Davontae Sanford drew the entire diagram of the crime scene, including the location of the victims' bodies, while being questioned by the police. This called into question Tolbert's credibility in the case. Recognizing the importance of that testimony, attorneys from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office worked with Davontae Sanford's attorneys from Dykema Gossett to move to dismiss his case.
Today, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and the defense attempted to file a stipulated order to dismiss all charges against Sanford, without prejudice. However, Wayne County Third Circuit Court Judge Brian Sullivan signed an order vacating Sanford's conviction and sentence, and directing that the Michigan Department of Corrections immediately release Sanford on his own recognizance. The court ordered the People to file a Motion to Dismiss the Case, which the court will review.
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