In 2007, Davontae Sanford was coerced into a confession at the tender age of 14. Four men were killed on Runyon Street in Detroit and after intense interrogation by the local authorities, the young man plead guilty, retracted the confession, and plead guilty again in court after feeling his defense team left him helpless.
According to reports, two weeks after his confession, Vincent Smothers, a self- described hitman, came forward and admitted to the crime, showed authorities where to find the murder weapon, and admitted Sanford has nothing to do with the killings. However, Sanford still remained incarcerated for eight years.
With insistence from Stanford’s pro-bono defense team, Michigan State Police reinvestigated, and recommended the investigating officer be charged with perjury after fabricating the confession, and also leading Sanford to believe if he amitted to the crime, he could go home. Sanford will be released, dismissed of all charges, and will not be re-tried.