Wayne County Prosecutor Homicide Unit
Wayne County Prosecutor
Homicide Unit
Homicide cases are always tragic and often complicated. The Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney formed the Homicide Unit to insure that survivors of homicide victims receive the attention they need and offenders in homicide cases are held accountable for their actions.
Warrant Review
The Homicide Unit prosecutes review all homicide and fatal driving cases in Wayne County and make charging decisions on almost all of them. Some warrant requests are sent to the Child and Family Abuse Bureau for child abuse homicides and the Police Conduct Review Team (PCRT) for fatal police shootings.
Preliminary Examination
Homicide Unit Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys [APA] conduct all preliminary examinations arising from warrants recommended by the Unit. The APAs handle cases in all 24 District Courts and 4 Municipal Courts in Wayne County. After cases are bound over to Circuit Court, less involved cases may be transferred to the trial division.
Trials
Homicide Unit APAs prosecute the most complicated and high profile homicide trials in the state. Recent cases include:
People v. Merle Rydesky, a physician convicted of manslaughter in the strangulation death of his alcoholic brother who he had collared and chained in the basement of the mother's Dearborn house;
People v. Jermane Crowe, an executioner who was convicted of first degree murder for killing a Good Samaritan and his wife in Taylor because the man had been a witness to another murder;
People v. Khalil Chahine, convicted of first-degree murder in the Dearborn shooting death of his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend;
People v. Eric Marshall, convicted of two counts of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of two Detroit police officers; and
People v. Leslie Gordon, who was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder in the videotaped robbery and slaughter of a Westland party store employee and his customers.
In 2005, the overall conviction rate for the Homicide Unit was 91.5%.
Contact Information
You can contact the Homicide Section at (313) 224-2882
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. A friend/family member of mine was killed and no one has been arrested yet. Who should I call to find out what is going on?
A. Contact the officer in charge (OIC) of the case at the police department where the crime occurred. The OIC may be able to give you some information about the status of the investigation. The Prosecutor's Office cannot provide any information until after an arrest warrant has been issued.
Q. A warrant has been issued in my friend/family member's death and that person has been arrested. Who should I call to find out what's going on?
A. Contact the Homicide Victim's Advocate, Mrs. Artina Moses, at 967-6820 for general information about the criminal process, the next scheduled court date, or victim's rights or victim's services. If you have specific information about an on-going case, contact the prosecutor assigned to that case.
Q. How do I find out who is handling my friend/relative's case?
A. Call the main number, (313) 224-2882, for the Homicide Unit or contact the Homicide Victim's Advocate.