Closed courtroom spoils verdict in Flint murder trial
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court overturned a murder conviction Monday, saying a Flint-area judge who closed his courtroom to the public violated the rights of a man who was on trial.
The decision means a new trial for Donald Davis Jr., 27, who is serving a life sentence.
Genesee County Judge Geoffrey Neithercut cleared the courtroom after a spectator attending Davis' trial asked a juror during a break if she worked at a hospital.
After the trial, Neithercut said his order was "poorly worded" and that he should have said "don't come back today." But the practical effect meant that no one watched the trial over several days except for the mother of the victim.
The Supreme Court said there was nothing ambiguous about Neithercut's order.
"The existence of public observers, no matter their affiliation, helps to ensure a fair trial, to ensure that attorneys and judges do their jobs responsibly, to encourage witnesses to come forward, and to discourage perjury," Justice Elizabeth Clement said in the court's 6-0 opinion.
Justice Brian Zahra agreed with the result but wrote a separate opinion.
The trial occurred before Neithercut retired at the end of 2018.
Davis was accused of killing Devante Hanson, whose body was found in a car outside a Flint apartment building in 2016.
Legislature votes to halt gas tax; Whitmer opposed
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers voted Tuesday to suspend the state's 27.2-cents-a-gallon gasoline and diesel taxes for six month, finalizing a bill that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signaled she will veto.
The Republican-sponsored legislation was approved 24-14 on mostly party lines in the GOP-controlled Senate after the House passed it last week. It would save drivers facing higher pump prices about $725 million by freezing the taxes from April through September.
Whitmer, a Democrat, has instead supported halting the federal 18.4-cents-per-gallon gas tax and 24.4-cent diesel tax while calling for negotiations to commence on permanent, targeted state income tax deductions and credits for retirees and lower-wage earners. She will soon veto a separate Republican-backed measure that would cut the state income tax, bolster deductions for seniors and bring back a child tax credit.
The statewide average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $4.23, down slightly from a record high last Thursday. It was up from $4.18 a week ago and $3.35 a month ago.
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