Prosecutors have announced charges in the fatal May 25 shooting of three people at a Detroit home. Devon Robinson, 18, is accused of murdering 20-year-old Timothy Blancher, 21-year-old Alunte Davis, and 20-year-old Paris Cameron. He killed Blancher and Davis because they were gay, and Cameron because she was a transgender woman, prosecutors say.
“It is alleged that these victims were targeted and killed because they were part of the LGBTQ community,” Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office Director of Communications Maria Miller said in a statement obtained by Law&Crime.
Robinson also allegedly wounded two other people. He faces three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and five counts of the use of a firearm in connection with a felony. The defendant was arraigned and scheduled for a probable cause hearing to take place June 21, and a preliminary examination on June 28.
It is unclear if he has an attorney yet.
“The alleged actions of this defendant are disturbing on so many levels, but the fact that this happened during Pride Month adds salt into the wound,” Wayne County prosecutor said in a statement. “We must remain ever vigilant in our fight to eradicate hate in Wayne County and beyond.”
Michigan hate crime law doesn’t cover sexual orientation and gender identity. The Robinson case was assigned to Special Prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz, who belongs to the Fair Michigan Foundation.
“This case illustrates the mortal danger faced by members of Detroit’s LGBTQ community, including transgender women of color,” said Fair Michigan President Alanna Maguire in a statement. “The LGBTQ community knows that the Fair Michigan Justice Project, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Detroit Police Department stand ready to aggressively prosecute these brutal crimes.”
These deaths follow the recent high-profile murders of black trans women in Dallas, Texas.
[Mugshot via Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office]
