Conviction to be dropped in Michigan fire that killed 5 kids
DETROIT (AP) — Authorities are dropping a murder conviction against a man who is serving a life sentence for a fire that killed five children in suburban Detroit in 2000, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
The case against Juwan Deering was spoiled by the failure to share evidence that would have helped his defense, said Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald, who was elected last fall.
Deering didn't get a "fair trial," she said, adding: "This is a dark day for this office."
McDonald, noting a new state police investigation of the fire, stopped short of saying the charges would ultimately be dropped.
In 2006, Deering, now 50, was convicted of murder in the deaths in the house fire in Royal Oak Township. Authorities at the time said the fire was revenge for drug debts, though Deering repeatedly declared his innocence. No one could identify him as being at the house.
McDonald said her office discovered a video of an interview with a fire survivor who said Deering didn't commit the arson.
The prosecutor also said jurors and Deering's defense lawyer were never informed that jail informants won substantial benefits for their testimony against him. McDonald disclosed that development in May.
Greg Townsend was the assistant prosecutor who took Deering to trial in 2006. He subsequently became a Michigan assistant attorney general and was part of the team handling an alleged kidnapping plot against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He retired in July, weeks after the Deering case made headlines again.
The Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan law school had been trying to get a new trial for Deering, arguing that the fire analysis was based on "junk science," but those efforts were unsuccessful in Michigan's appellate courts.
McDonald said she will join a new request by Deering's attorneys to have a judge throw out the murder conviction.
State Bar sections offer ‘Immigration 101 – Basics & Myths’ online
The Labor &?Employment Law Section in collaboration with the Immigration Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan will present “Labor Law: Lunch & Learn – Immigration 101 – Basics & Myths” online Wednesday, September 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom
This two-part presentation regarding the intersection of labor/employment and immigration law issues will be presented by Abril Valdes Siewert, senior associate attorney at Birach Law and Immigration Law Section chair
Siewert has dedicated her career to helping the immigrant community. She received her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and her B.A. in English from California State University, Los Angeles. Siewert is licensed in the state of Michigan and California. She was appointed a commissioner by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan. Formerly, as the immigrant rights attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, Siewert was on the front lines of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy.
To register for this free online event, visit https://connect.michbar.org/laborlaw/home.
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