Judge won't suppress escort ad killings statements

MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) -- A judge has denied a request to suppress statements to police by a Detroit-area man who authorities say killed four women in 2011 after meeting them through online escort ads. Macomb County Circuit Court Judge James Biernat wrote in a recent order that he's satisfied that James C. Brown "was not coerced to confess, and that his confession was the result of his free will," the Detroit Free Press reported. Brown's attorney, Jeff Cojocar, says his client maintains his innocence. He was trying to have the videotaped statements suppressed. Brown is charged with killing the women at his Sterling Heights home and leaving their bodies in cars in the same neighborhood Detroit neighborhood. He told police he met the women on Backpage.com, which carries personal ads. "Clearly we're pleased with the judge's decision and we're planning to move forward to trial," said Therese Tobin, an assistant prosecutor. A hearing today could set a date for trial on murder and other charges. Brown, of Sterling Heights, is accused of killing the women in pairs on two days. Police said the bodies of Renisha Landers and Demesha Hunt were left Dec. 19, 2011. Six days later, on Christmas Day, the bodies of Natasha Curtis and Vernithea McCrary were found in a burning car in the same neighborhood. At a hearing in January, a Detroit police detective testified that Brown admitted he was with the women in his basement when they died. Brown told the officer that he fell asleep and simply found them lifeless when he woke up on two separate occasions. Published: Thu, Oct 31, 2013