Eric J. Smith--Macomb County Prosecutor

Letter from Prosecutor Eric Smith

I'm proud to highlight the Macomb County Prosecutor's Cold Case Team.

I undertook this initiative in response to appeals from the families and loved ones of the victims of murders in this county, who might feel that the System has passed them by. As the People's advocate, I won't let that happen.

This Team sends a simple message to criminals: You can run from the law. But you can't hide. The chase doesn't end until we get you.

We're fortunate in Macomb County: the detectives in our police departments, and in our State Police and Sheriff's department, are some of the best in the United States. It's my privilege to work daily with these officers who take their work home with them and never let cases go. Now, by putting them together with my most dedicated and talented prosecutors, we're taking down these fugitives from justice. And we're getting some measure of closure for the devastated families of these victims.

We're combing through old files and re-examining every unsolved murder in the county. We've assembled experts here, and we're tracking down leads every day. We're finding out that there's really no limit to what a fresh set of eyes might see in a case file.

You'll find a few of the more complex cases highlighted on this web page. Take a moment to see what our fine detectives and prosecutors are accomplishing.

Together, we're finding something out: in Macomb County, no case is a cold case. Every case is red hot until the perpetrator is arrested and convicted.

Sincerely,


Eric J. Smith
Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney

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1. People vs. Anthony Deleon

In 1998, the defendant, Anthony Deleon, murdered his wife, Karen, in their Shelby Township marital home, staging the act as a suicide. Seven years later, we charged Deleon with first- degree murder, and the jury convicted him as charged. The case originally was reviewed by our office in 1998, and no charges were issued. No new evidence surfaced between 1998 and 2005, but a “new look” at the facts by our office and the detective led to a firm conclusion that Deleon murdered his wife, and that the evidence categorically showed that she did not kill herself.

2. People vs. Thomas Maclean

In 1998, the defendant, Thomas Maclean, while severely intoxicated and driving at extremely high speed, crashed into the back of a car driven by William Shand. The victim died as a result of his injuries. Although we issued an arrest warrant against Maclean in 1998, the district judge did not process the warrant on account of our office and the sheriff’s department having information that Maclean suffered a closed head injury, rendering him incompetent to stand trial. In 2005, we received information that Maclean had recovered from his injuries. We activated and resuscitated the case. The jury convicted the defendant in 2005 of second-degree murder.

3. People vs. Kenny Khalil

4. People vs. Michael Throndset

Crimes: Arson and conspiracy
Police Department: Michigan State Police (Sgt. Waite)
Year of crimes: 2003
Charges filed: 2006
Trial judge: Richard Caretti
Outcome of case: Guilty pleas as charged.

5. People vs. Jill Trainor

6. People vs. Jose Posadas

7. People vs. Damion Green

8. People vs. Khalid Maroof

9. People vs. Anthony Rizzo, Jr.

10. People vs. Joseph Hendrix

In September 2006, a violent, tragic act occurred in the parking lot of a Shelby Township strip mall. A carjacking occurred, where the thief pushed the passenger, a 65-year-old woman, out of the car and onto the pavement. She suffered grave injuries, leading to her death seven days later. Five months later, we charged Joseph Hendrix with felony murder and carjacking, gaining convictions as charged. Although we lacked evidence linking Hendrix to the scene, we prevailed at trial through the use of other bad act evidence, revealing that Hendrix had stolen other vehicles in the vicinity of the carjacking, within days of the carjacking.

11. People vs. John Wieczorek

In 2004, the Defendant, John Wieczorek, raped and brutally assaulted a prostitute. Nine months later, our office charged the defendant, a repeat offender, with rape and assault with intent to commit great bodily harm. The jury convicted him as charged. The key to lodging charges and prevailing at trial was the detective’s efforts in encouraging the victim to cooperate and then testify.  

12. People vs. Nelson Hampton

13. People vs. David Bauman

Crimes: First-degree murder, armed robbery, and felony firearm
Police Department: Michigan State Police (Sgt. Patrick Young)
Date of crimes: October 21, 2000
Trial judge: Hon. Diane Druzinski
Charges issued: October 18, 2005
Outcome of case: The defendant pleaded guilty as charged on 2-15-2006

14. People vs. Dennis Bryan

15. People vs. Michael George

Unfortunately, after the trial and before sentencing, several police reports were discovered that were not turned over to Mr. George's defense team. The courts ruled these reports were considered potentially exculpatory for the defendant and he was given a new trial. On October 11, 2011, after a 6 week trial, Mr. George was convicted by a jury of First Degree Murder for a second time. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on November 21, 2011. This trial will be featured in a special two hour episode on NBC's Dateline program in May of 2012

16. People vs. Nelson Hampton

17. People vs. Michael O'Sullivan

18. People vs. Gary Campbell

19. People vs. Michael Amirante

20. People vs. Arthur Ream

Before Ream's sentencing, he agreed to reveal the location of Cindy's remains.The body of Cindy Zarzycki was located after 22 years missing, near 23 mile Road and North Ave. Eastpointe detectives found Cindy's remains in a shallow grave. She was returned to her family and finally laid to rest.