As 2024 ended, the number of homicides reported in Oakland County increased 44% compared to 2023’s homicides — with nearly half of them happening in Pontiac.
In all, 23 homicides were reported in the county, based on reports from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies. Especially disturbing: Five of the victims were children, including a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, and two teens.
But there is a glimmer of good news — a conviction in one of the cases, and in all but three of the others the alleged killers have been arrested and charged. Unfortunately, two of the three unsolved homicides involve teenage victims; investigators say efforts continue to identify those responsible for the three deaths, and bring justice to the victims’ families.
A look back shows total cases for 2024, while up over the year prior, was on the lower end of reported homicides for each of the past few years:
• 2024 — 23 cases
• 2023 — 16 cases
• 2022 — 37 cases
• 2021 — 35 cases
• 2020 — 26 cases
Of the county’s 2024 reported homicides, 10 happened in Pontiac. The others occurred in nine other communities: Three in Farmington Hills, two each in Madison Heights and Southfield, and one each in Novi, Oxford Township, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak Township, Waterford Township and Wixom.
Two of the victims were killed in murder-suicides.
2024 Oakland County homicides
The 2024 reported cases, as of mid-afternoon on Dec. 31, starting with the most recent:
Barbara Wolf
Barbara Wolf, of Oxford Township, was fatally shot after reportedly stopping her vehicle to help a man after he crashed a car into a tree on Ray Road near Oxford High School on Dec. 24. She was 71.
Wolf was a clinical psychologist affiliated with McLaren Health Care. According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, she was shot multiple times and died at an area hospital.
Malik Webb, a 29-year-old felon released from prison on July 1, 2024, is charged with felony murder for Wolf’s slaying, as well as 18 other crimes connected to the incident: Carjacking, three counts of assault with intent to murder; three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and nine counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony – third offense.
Webb allegedly shot two others that evening — Wolf’s daughter, who was a passenger in her mother’s vehicle, and a 56-year-old Oxford man who had also stopped to assist.
Webb then allegedly attempted to carjack an Oxford woman at gunpoint but was unable to drive away in her vehicle, officials said. The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said the crimes happened in rapid succession.
Sheriff’s deputies called to the scene took Webb into custody a short time later. He’s held in the Oakland County Jail and his next court date is pending.
Antonn Thomas
Antonn Cecil Richard Thomas of White Lake Township was fatally shot outside the MJR Cinema complex in Waterford on Nov. 7, 2024 and died the next day. He was 28.
Charged with felony murder for Thomas’ death are Mike Kruglik of West Bloomfield and Jesse Bradshaw of New Boston. Kruglik, 24, and Bradshaw, 26, are also charged with several counts each of delivery/manufacture of cocaine, psilocybin and marijuana, and felony firearm. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 28 for a probable cause conference before 51st District Judge Todd Fox.
Hussein Murray
Hussein Murray, 72, was found dead in the basement of his Rochester Hills home on Oct. 11, 2024.
It’s alleged that two men posing as utility workers beat Murray to death at his home in the 3700 block of Newcastle, then used duct tape to restrain his wife, Linda Murray, in the kitchen before searching the place for cash and other valuables. Linda Murray eventually managed to free herself and called 911, believing her husband had been kidnapped.
Carlos Jose Hernandez, 38, and Joshua Zuazo, 39, both of Dearborn, are charged with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. Hernandez was arrested in Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2024 and subsequently extradited to Oakland County. Zuazo was arrested Oct. 14, 2024 in Plymouth Township. Their cases have been bound over to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial. Arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 7 before Judge Yasmine Poles.
Murray was the owner of Gold & Glitter Jewelry in Hamtramck. Authorities have said it’s believed Murray was targeted in connection with his business.
Sidney Ward III, Tyrone Davis Glenn
Sidney Ward III, 20, of Highland Park, and Tyrone Davis Glenn Jr., 24, of Pontiac died Oct. 8, 2024 after being shot in an apartment on North Sanford Street near Fiddis Avenue in Pontiac. According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the two were killed over a dice game.
Charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and several firearms-related crimes is Davonte Demetri Franklin, 32, of Detroit. He’s accused of slaying the two men over an $80 gambling loss.
Franklin’s next scheduled court date is Feb. 6 for a competency evaluation hearing and probable cause conference before 50th District Judge Ronda Gross.
William John Allison
Willam John Allison, 41, died on Sept. 18, 2024 after being stabbed with a kitchen knife in his driveway on East Ypsilanti Avenue in Pontiac.
Charged with the murder is Timothy Ernest Legard, 50, who’s also accused of sexually assaulting Allison’s wife and daughter inside their home on East Ypsilanti Avenue. Legard and the Allisons were neighbors. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said the two men were also friends.
Legard is scheduled for a preliminary exam in February, where 50th District Judge Jeremy Bowie will hear evidence and then decide if there’s probable cause for the case to move forward for possible trial in Oakland County Circuit Court.
Darean Davis
Darean Davis, 14, died Aug. 31, 2024 after being shot at the parking lot of the Michigan State Fair in Novi. The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. Another 14-year-old was wounded by gunfire and hospitalized for a couple days.
Darean was a student at University High School in Ferndale. Police said the shooting stemmed from an earlier argument.
No arrests have been made in connection with the case, which remains open. Crime Stoppers of Michigan is offering a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest of the Darean’s killer. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 1-800 SPEAK-UP or online via 100speakup.org.
Giovanni Jennings
Giovanni “Chulo” Jennings of Madison Heights died July 31, 2024 after being repeatedly beaten, allegedly by his mother and her boyfriend. Chulo was six years old.
Elaina Rose Jennings, 26, and Daniel John Giacchina, 33, are charged with murder, first-degree child abuse and lying to a police officer in connection with the slaying. The abuse also included stapling the young boy to a wall and confining him to a pen, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
The child’s siblings witnessed much of the abuse, the prosecutor’s office said.
Giacchina is also charged with felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to officials, Jennings called 911 shortly after 2:30 p.m. on July 30, 2024 to report that her child wasn’t breathing. Madison Heights police officers and a crew from the fire department responded to the home and found the little boy unresponsive with multiple injuries. He was transported to Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital and subsequently transferred to Children’s Hospital where he died the next day.
The couple was subsequently arrested.
The next scheduled court date for Jennings and Giacchina is Feb. 5 for a pretrial hearing before Oakland County Circuit Judge Michael Warren.
Maurice Elmore
Maurice Elmore died June 10, 2024 several days after he was reportedly assaulted and robbed while walking near Telegraph and Franklin roads in Southfield. Elmore sustained injuries to the head and elsewhere when he was attacked on May 30, 2024, police said. He was 79 years old.
Stavon Corey Lindsay, 26, of Southfield is facing charges of homicide, assault and battery, malicious destruction of a building and malicious destruction of personal property for the attack.
According to Southfield police, Elmore was attacked on May 30, 2024 while walking near Telegraph and Franklin roads, shortly after 11:30 p.m. Elmore had been approached from behind and struck head, then after he fell to the ground he was punched and kicked. The assailant, who police say is Lindsay, stole Elmore’s cell phone and wallet.
Elmore died while hospitalized for his injuries. The Oakland County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide due to blunt force trauma, police said.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said Lindsay is bipolar and schizophrenic. He’s been referred for a competency evaluation, and the review hearing is scheduled for Feb. 24.
McKinley Hardy
McKinley Hardy, 1, died June 1, 2024 after reportedly being beaten at a home in The Village apartment complex in Wixom.
Christopher Savage, 25, the boyfriend of McKinley’s mother, is charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse for the death.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, police were called to a home in the 30000 block of Tamarack Drive on reports that a child was unresponsive. They arrived to find Savage and the baby’s mother performing CPR on her.
The prosecutor’s office said McKinley’s mother had left the baby in the care of Savage, who was the only one with the child when she was injured. McKinley died at Children’s Hospital in Detroit. The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said the infant had multiple injuries throughout her body.
Savage’s trial is scheduled for March 31 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Nanci Grant.
Ricky Williams III
Ricky Williams III, 28, died May 25, 2024 after being fatally shot at an apartment home in Farmington Hills. He was 28.
Williams’ brother, Fredrick Logan, 30, is charged with the slaying which reportedly stemmed from an argument between the two men.
According to then-Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King, the men’s mother called 911 to report her sons were involved in an argument which led to the older one shooting the younger one at her home on Saratoga Circle, near 11 Mile and Halsted roads. Logan fled the scene but was arrested the next day in Warren, with assistance from police there.
Williams was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
Logan’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 4, for a pretrial hearing before Oakland County Circuit Judge Jacob Cunningham.
Charnae Jenkins
Charnae Jenkins, 33, was killed during what officials said was a domestic dispute that ended in murder-suicide on May 12, 2024 in Pontiac.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Jenkins was fatally shot by Alvin Dewayne Hall, Jr., 29 at a home in the 1200 block of Maurer. Hall then killed himself.
Deputies found the bodies of Jenkins and Hall in the hallway of the residence, responding there to a 911 call reporting two people were dead inside the home, at around 5:35 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
A handgun and two spent shell casings were found on the hallway floor near Hall’s hand, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives subsequently learned Jenkins and Hall had been embroiled in an ongoing domestic dispute, the sheriff’s office said.
Gregory Allen Copeland
Gregory Allen Copeland, 69, died April 27, 2024 after being stabbed several times in the chest at his home in Pontiac. He was 69.
Charged in Copeland’s slaying is 32-year-old Juan Ramirez, Jr., who reportedly was in a relationship with Copeland’s niece. Ramirez was arrested May 3, 2024 at a Dallas, Texas bus station.
The fatal stabbing happened at Copeland’s home in the 80 block of Ivy Street. Deputies responding to a report of a man chasing a woman with a knife found Copeland in the basement, with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ramirez’s trial is scheduled to begin on June 2 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews.
Zavieion Thomas
Zavieion Thomas, 3, died April 25, 2024 in Pontiac. His mother, Latonya Shante Thomas, 27, is held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $1 million, charged for the death.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the child was unresponsive when deputies responded to a 911 call for help at a home in the 100 block of Perry Place — and saw Thomas attempting to perform CPR on him. Paramedics transported the child to an area hospital where he was ultimately pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
Thomas’s next scheduled court appearance is for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 13 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O’Brien.
Rayjon Tyree Barnes
Rayjon Tyree Barnes, 24, was found fatally shot in Pontiac on April 10, 2024 outside a residence in the North Hill Farms apartment complex.
Two other Pontiac men in their 20s were shot in their legs, treated at a local hospital and released, the sheriff’s office said. Witnesses reportedly told investigators that before the shooting, people had been partying in the apartment complex’s parking lot and an argument broke out.
Barnes was shot in front of a residence at 72 Fireside Lane in the North Hill Farms apartment complex, shortly before 1 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made in connection with the slaying.
Candace Hawkins
Candace Hawkins, 42, was found dead in a Madison Heights home that had been set on fire on March 27, 2024.
According to police, she was slain by her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Spicer, 40, at his home on West Harding Street in a murder-suicide.
Both bodies had stab wounds, police said. The Madison Heights fire marshal said Spicer had started the fire to conceal the homicide.
Octavious Javon Perkins
Octavious Javon Perkins died March 9, 2024 after being shot while at the Baymont Inn in Royal Oak Township. He was 27 years old.
Perkins was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jason McCullough, 26, of Detroit, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder for the death. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 3 for a competency hearing.
Charlie Isaac Odneal
Charlie Isaac Odneal, 42, of Pontiac, died March 6, 2024 at an area hospital, several hours after he was shot outside the Night Riders Motorcycle Club in Pontiac.
Malcolm Robert Boykin is charged with second-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and multiple counts of felony firearm.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, an argument between the two men, who were acquaintances, led to the shooting, Boykin was arrested the day after the shooting at a motel near the motorcycle club. He’s scheduled for trial on March 24 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan.
Cornelius Jones
Cornelius Jones, 33, died Feb. 21, 2024 after being shot at an apartment in the 200 block of Carriage Circle Drive in Pontiac, allegedly over a spitting incident.
Sadarie Donalson reportedly spit into Jones’ sink, which Jones reportedly said was “disrespectful,” based on witness reports. Investigators said that sparked an argument, and Jones told Donalson and his companion, Pontiac resident Dewaun Benion, to leave his home.
The two men left, then returned — and a physical fight between Benion and Jones ensued, leading to the shooting. Donalson shot Jones twice, and Jones died soon after at a local hospital.
Donalson and Benion fled the scene but were subsequently arrested.
Donalson was tried and convicted of second-degree murder and related charges. He’s serving a prison sentence of 30-60 years. Donalson’s accomplice, Dewaun Benion, pleaded no contest to assault with intent to do great bodily harm and was sentenced to a year in jail.
Tyler Johnson
Tyler Johnson, 15, of Ferndale was fatally shot at the Westin Southfield Detroit hotel on Feb. 11, 2024 and died four days later while hospitalized.. He was 15.
So far, no one has been charged with the homicide.
Tyler was a sophomore at Loyola High School in Detroit.
According to Southfield police, an adult had rented a room in the hotel, located near Northwestern Highway and 10 Mile Road, and left a group of teens there, including Tyler, unsupervised.
Not long after the shooting, a 15-year-old boy from Detroit who was found with a gun at the hotel was taken into custody and subsequently held at Children’s Village, Oakland County’s juvenile facility. He was charged with two counts of Carrying a Concealed Weapon. His case was transferred to Wayne County’s 3rd Circuit Court.
As the investigation into Tyler’s slaying continues, police urge anyone who has additional information to share it with the Southfield Police Department or make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
Json Markell Hunt
Json Markell Hunt, 27, of Clinton Township was fatally shot Jan.14, 2024 at a business in the 400 block of West Huron Street in Pontiac. Another man, reportedly Hunt’s cousin, was also hit by the gunfire and survived.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said deputies called to the scene at around 4 p.m. that day were met in the parking lot by the cousin who told them he had been shot by an unknown assailant, and that Hunt was inside the business and had also been shot.
Charged in the homicide is 27-year-old Jermaine Jackson. He’s scheduled for trial on March 25 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O’Brien. Ja-Vontay Boykin is charged with accessory after the fact and lying to police. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 24.
Ryan Ambrosio, Jennifer Dormitorio Ambrosio
Ryan Ambrosio, 45, and Jennifer Dormitorio Ambrosio, 43, of Farmington Hills, died Jan. 6, 2024 in Southfield after a driver fleeing police and traveling the wrong way on M-10 slammed into their vehicle. The Ambrosios were the parents of six young children.
Angel Melendez-Ortiz, 36, of Romulus, is charged with two counts each of second-degree murder, first-degree fleeing and eluding, reckless driving causing death, and driving while license suspended/revoked causing death.
Prosecutors say Melendez-Ortiz was speeding in a stolen pickup truck — driving the wrong way on M-10 with the lights off while being pursued by Michigan State Police — when he crashed into the Ambrosios’ GMC Terrain. Ryan and Jennifer Ambrosio were pronounced dead at the scene.
Melendez-Ortiz is scheduled for trial on Jan. 27 in Oakland County Circuit Court.
Also of note:
• Robert Cavanaugh, 60, of Madison Heights, was found unresponsive lying on the ground in the 26000 block of Dequindre Road on Dec. 24. He was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to Madison Heights Police Lt. David Koehler, Cavanaugh suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
Determination of the cause and manner of death is pending. Koehler said 68-year-old Rodney Beasley of Madison Heights is believed to be responsible for Cavanaugh’s death, but as of mid-afternoon Dec. 31, he’s only been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. Additional charges are possible, Koehler said.
• Darrien Louis Bragg, 23, of Pontiac, died on June 11, 2024 after he suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet traveled through Bragg’s body and struck his 23-year-old girlfriend in the abdomen. She survived the shooting.
Investigators said the incident happened while the shooter was being assaulted by Bragg and his girlfriend while standing at the counter of a convenience store on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Pontiac, according to witnesses. The shooter is reportedly the former boyfriend of the injured woman.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office did not issue charges for the shooting.
