New sentences ordered for teens in deaths of local homeless men

PONTIAC (AP) -- Two young men convicted as teenagers in the killing of homeless men in Pontiac will get new sentences. Dontez Tillman and Thomas McCloud are serving mandatory no-parole sentences. But the U.S. Supreme Court has said mandatory punishments like those are illegal for teens convicted of murder. Tillman and McCloud still could get the same punishment. But they at least will get a chance to ask an Oakland County judge for a sentence that would give them a shot at parole in the years ahead. The Michigan appeals court made rulings last Friday. McCloud was convicted of fatally beating two homeless men in 2008, while Tillman was found guilty of killing one man. They were 14 at the time. Published: Tue, Jun 4, 2013