Detroit News: The description of the way a killer walked sent Larry D. Smith to prison for a murder he and his attorney say he didn’t commit.
On Thursday, Smith, 45, of Detroit, will be formally freed from his first-degree murder conviction by a Wayne County Circuit judge, county Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Wednesday.
Smith was 18 when he was sentenced in November 1994 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and felony firearm convictions.
His hearing is set for 11 a.m. before Judge Shannon Walker. Smith’s conviction is being overturned as a result of an investigation by the Wayne County Prosecutor Office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, headed by director Valerie Newman.
Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced on Monday that it would be dismissing all charges filed against people for violating the COVID-19 executive orders issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
Michigan Prosecutor Dismisses Over 1,700 Violations of Whitmer’s Overturned CCP Virus Orders
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday it is dismissing some 1,700 tickets for violations related to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s pandemic-related executive orders that were later ruled unconstitutional.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office said in a statement that as a result of a Michigan Supreme Court ruling, it has reviewed cases relating to both pending and adjudicated violations of Whitmer’s COVID-19 executive orders and determined there is no legal basis to move ahead with prosecuting them.
“[The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office] will be dismissing all adjudicated cases and all pending cases,” Worthy’s office said in a statement, which indicated the dismissal covers around 100 pending and around 1,680 adjudicated cases.
Back on October 2, 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Whitmer didn’t have the authority under the state’s emergency statute she was using to continue extending the coronavirus state of emergency passed 28 days without the support of the Legislature.
The Michigan Supreme Court declared that Whitmer did not have any authority under the 1976 Emergency Management Act. They also ruled that the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act that she specifically used to support her take over of the state via her emergency orders was completely unconstitutional.
Justice Stephen J. Markman wrote in the majority opinion:
“We conclude that the Governor lacked the authority to declare a ‘state of emergency’ or a ‘state of disaster’ under the EMA after April 30, 2020, on the basis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we conclude that the EPGA is in violation of the Constitution of our state because it purports to delegate to the executive branch the legislative powers of
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An inmate at the Detroit Detention Center was found dead in his cell Saturday. (Shutterstock)
DETROIT The death of a 61-year-old inmate at the Detroit Detention Center Saturday morning is under investigation by the Michigan State Police, authorities said Monday.
A combined task force of Michigan State Police and Detroit Police detectives are investigating the death of the male inmate, which was reported around 9 a.m. Saturday, Michigan State Police officials said.
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State police officials said Monday that detectives would be reviewing video and audio and interviewing witnesses. Authorities are awaiting the results of the medical examiner and a cause of death has not been released.