Judge again orders no prison in vigilante killing

DETROIT (AP) -- A judge declined a second time to order a prison term for a Detroit man who chased and killed a suspected burglar. An additional year of probation was added to Tigh Croff's sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors who wanted a tougher punishment had persuaded the state appeals court to send the case back to Wayne County Judge Michael Hathaway for a new hearing last Friday. Croff, a victim of home break-ins, chased Herbert Silas and fatally shot him on Detroit's east side in December 2009. Croff is serving a two-year prison sentence for using a gun, a separate crime. He's supposed to be released in February. The judge says Croff has a good record behind bars and has had many "second thoughts" about the shooting. Published: Tue, Jan 8, 2013