Articles Posted in Violent Crime

Michael Tarris Rashad Norris was scheduled to appear for a probable cause hearing on Friday, July 26 in connection with the September 2012 shooting deaths of 22-year-old Alvaro Carrillo-Menendez and 45-year-old Felix Romeo Reyes-Santos. Now, the probable cause hearing has been delayed due to what Norris’ attorney Christopher Dennie called a ‘voluminous discovery.’ According to a news article at Mlive.com, Dennie desired to delay the hearing after receiving this evidence from the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.

The probable cause hearing has been rescheduled for August 9 after Grand Rapids District Court Judge Benjamin Logan agreed to the delay.

Norris was arraigned in July in connection with the Labor Day 2012 fatal shooting, which police say was an attempted robbery that went bad. Norris is charged with three counts of attempted murder, and two counts of felony murder in the deaths of Carrillo-Menendez and Reyes-Santos. A witness who was with Norris claims that he saw the two victims carting a case of beer, and Norris eyeing the two men. Manuel Rosado was allegedly with Norris, and claims that Norris said he was ‘broke’ and intended to rob the men. He went on to say that he witnessed the two men tumbling to the ground after hearing a bang. Rosado was charged with three counts of assault with intent to rob while armed.

Norris also allegedly shot another man approximately an hour later in the area of Buchanan Avenue SW and Griggs Street, although the victim survived.

Norris is also charged with two felony firearms counts. If convicted of the felony murder and gun charges, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. He is currently being held without bond in the Kent County Jail; Rosado was held on a $750,000 bond.

While news articles do not indicate what the ‘voluminous’ evidence Norris’ attorney received is, Michigan murder attorneys know that this is one of the most serious charges a person can face. It is always a tragedy when a person who is 24 years old may potentially spend the rest of his or her life behind bars.

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Almost one year ago, we wrote about two young men who had been involved in the beating of one of the young men’s family with a baseball bat. Now, Tucker Cipriano and Mitchell Young have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Tucker’s father, Robert Cipriano.

On Wednesday July 24, 20-year-old Tucker Cipriano and 21-year-old Mitchell Young were sentenced to mandatory life in prison for the April 2012 murder. Tucker is adopted, and according to news reports denies any responsibility in the beating of his father. Cipriano’s mother, Rose, was severely beaten in the attack, as was his brother Salvatore, who still remains in the hospital as the result of injuries he sustained in the altercation.

While Cipriano and Young were friends prior to the baseball bat attack of Cipriano’s family, the two now each point the finger at the other as being the mastermind behind the attack.

After being abandoned by his birth mother, it was said in court that Tucker Cipriano had a difficult life. While Oakland County Judge Shalina Kumar acknowledged the fact, she said he was not the only individual who has been in a situation where as a child, he was abandoned and adopted by a loving, supporting family who was well-to-do. Kumar said in court that, “With all the support you had, and all the love you had, you threw it away.”

Mitchell Young maintains he is innocent, and according to a news article at Mlive.com, guaranteed he would appeal at the sentencing hearing on Wednesday. Young accused his attorney of failing him, claiming that there were several things he had requested Michael McCarthy do during the trial so that jurors could see the discrepancies in testimony of Ian Zinderman, a key witness, but that his attorney did not follow through. After nearly 30 minutes, Judge Kumar told Young that it was not an appeal hearing.

It is believed that drugs and alcohol played a role in the downfall of Tucker Cipriano, who became involved with the substances in his teens.

As all Michigan criminal defense attorneys would no doubt agree, this is an extremely sad situation. While it’s not always possible to get to the truth, it is a tragedy to think that two lives are wasted, and that men who are barely out of their teenage years will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

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A South Lyon man, 31-year-old Eric John Frederickson, has been charged with first-degree murder in the murder of his ex-girlfriend. 22-year-old Summer Faulkner allegedly died after being stabbed by Frederickson on Friday July 19.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Frederickson with the murder, alleging that he entered the victim’s Rosewood Avenue apartment on Friday evening and stabbed her in the areas of the head and neck. According to a news report at 7 Action News, the young woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police stated that the victim’s sister called 911 following the incident. Frederickson was in custody of the Taylor Police Department as of July 20; he had turned himself in to the Fenton Police Department.

Frederickson was arraigned via video on Monday, charged with first-degree murder and felony murder. He is being treated as a second-time offender as he was on probation at the time of the murder for aggravated stalking in a 2009 case, information gathered from Michigan’s Offender Tracking Information System.

Murder is the most serious charge an individual may face. Michigan murder defense lawyers know that without an experienced and capable attorney, defendants face extremely serious consequences including life in prison. However, even in the case of the most violent or heinous crimes, individuals are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt under the law.

Being charged with a crime does not necessarily mean that an individual will ‘do the time.’ Mistakes are frequently made in the legal process, either by police, prosecutors, or even judges. In certain situations a charge may be dismissed; a knowledgeable Michigan criminal defense attorney may find that filing an appeal of the conviction or sentence is desirable in your case.

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On Tuesday July 16, employees of Dearborn Family Dollar store arrived at work to find that something horrible had occurred. One employee was found inside the store, apparently dead from gunshot wounds. While 20-year-old Joe Orlando was deceased, his 20-year-old coworker, Brenna K. Machus, seemed to be missing. According to police in a news article at Mlive.com, Machus may be in danger, and has not been seen since Monday evening July 15.

Police are now in search of two female customers who may have been the last people to see Orlando and Machus. The women were at the Family Dollar store between 7:25 and 7:35 p.m. on Monday evening prior to the shooting. Detectives do have surveillance footage of a man who may be a suspect; the video revealed a man entering the store at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Monday, wearing jeans and white tennis shoes. What is odd to police is that while temperatures are warm, the man is wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jacket, the hood drawn in a way that conceals most of his face.

Employees who arrived at the store on Tuesday morning also stated that the store was in disarray and appeared to have been robbed. Police suspect that Machus may be in danger, and are asking anyone with information to call 313-943-2241.

Michigan criminal defense lawyers know that if and when apprehended, the man captured on video surveillance may be facing intense questioning and investigation. While it is impossible to determine his innocence or guilt at this point, individuals who commit murder or homicide may face up to life in prison if charged and convicted. Robbery is another serious criminal offense which can have lasting negative consequences for those convicted.

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On Tuesday July 9, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officials were asking for the public’s help in finding a 21-year-old man who has been charged in a shooting that occurred in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood on July 4th. Okoli Dion Staggers was charged with seven counts of weapons violations and assault with intent to murder; a warrant has been issued for Staggers.

According to a news article at Mlive.com, Staggers shot a Hays Park Street resident in the leg as he was walking toward his front porch. The victim is 52 years old, and was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital where he was treated and release. Original news reports released on July 5 indicated that the victim was sitting on his front porch when the shooting took place, however this turned out not to be the case. Either way, police do not believe the man was the intended victim in the shooting.

Okoli Staggers is described as a small man who stands about 5′ 4″ and weighs approximately 130 pounds, however he is considered by authorities to be armed and dangerous.

Three hours after this incident occurred, a second shooting took place in the area of West Paterson and North Rose Streets in Kalamazoo. A 21-year-old man was shot in the chest as he was walking in the area. At last report he was listed in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries. The shooting incidents did not appear to be related.

Assault with intent to commit murder is a very serious criminal offense, punished harshly in the state. Michigan assault with intent to commit murder attorneys know that individuals who are convicted of this serious crime may face a sentence of life in prison, or any number of years.

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