Life sentence for man who admitted killing 6-year-old Cleveland girl in shooting meant for someone else Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio A judge sentenced a man to life in prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the killing of 6-year-old girl in a 2019 shooting that prosecutors say targeted someone else.
Rayseann Howard hopped out of a car at 1 a.m. and fired more than a dozen bullets from a semi-automatic rifle into a South Collinwood home where 6-year-old Lyric Lawson was asleep on a mattress in the living room during a slumber party with her two sisters and three cousins. Another man who remains unidentified also fired shots into the house.
By Steve Bailey
U.S. Department of Justice
Cleveland, OH - Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that 43-year-old Darryl Borden, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty in federal court today to being a felon in possession of a firearm after Borden shot a Cleveland Police Officer responding to a call for help last July.
“Borden ambushed two Cleveland Police Officers who were simply trying to do their job and assist a member of the community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan. “During Police Week, a time where we celebrate the accomplishments of law enforcement and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, it is important to remember that situations like this are all too common, and our police officers and other law enforcement regularly risk their lives to protect and assist the communities they serve.”
Separation of Powers
The American court system was never meant to play out in a public arena. The separation of powers exists in our Constitution for a reason. People
serving in the legislative branch shouldn’t make public comments about an active case examined by the judicial branch. Furthermore, the head of the executive branch the president shouldn’t comment about an ongoing case, regardless of whether the jury had been sequestered for deliberation or not.
At the very least, Representative Maxine Waters stoked racial flames in an already contentious trial and President Biden set the stage for protests if the jury didn’t make what he called “the right decision.” Neither of those input channels has any place in our judicial system.