Judge jails Detroit man whose sentence is overdue

By Ed White
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) - A judge said Tuesday she's "trying to get to the bottom" of why a Detroit man hasn't been sentenced yet for manslaughter, six years after he pleaded no contest to the charge.

Leroy Moon, now 78, has been free on bond since his plea in 2011, although his deal with prosecutors called for a year in jail. There's no indication that he's been in any additional trouble.

"Very strange," Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway told The Associated Press. "I don't know how a case disappears in thin air."

Hathaway ordered Moon to jail Monday while she awaits a pre-sentence report on what he's been doing since 2011. He'll be sentenced Jan. 31.

Moon was accused of shooting a man who urinated outside his fish market in 2009. He pleaded no contest to manslaughter after his murder trial ended in a mistrial.

The Wayne County prosecutor's office said it "lost track of the case" after a prosecutor resigned and Moon's health problems caused delays. The Detroit News brought the case to the attention of authorities.

Moon's attorney has declined to comment.

"I'm not happy about the situation," the judge said. "I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. I take responsibility."

Published: Thu, Jan 11, 2018