In the late spring of 2016, a heart-wrenching story unfolded on the east side of Detroit, forever changing the lives of a local family. A 13-year-old boy named Deontae Mitchell was enjoying a bicycle ride with his cousin near a neighborhood convenience store. In a seemingly innocent act, Deontae picked up approximately $70 that a man had dropped. This simple action set in motion a devastating chain of events that would end in his tragic death.
The man who had dropped the money, later
identified as 45-year-old Gregory Walker, became enraged. Surveillance footage from the area captured the chilling moments that followed, showing Deontae being pursued, grabbed, and forced into a vehicle. For days, his family and the community held out hope for his safe return, but their hopes were shattered when his body was discovered in a vacant lot, hidden in tall grass at the intersection of Harper and Baldwin. The cause of death was determined to be a combination of beating and choking.
The investigation quickly led authorities to Gregory Walker and his accomplices, 44-year-old Lillian Roberts and her 27-year-old son, Earnest Coleman. Walker and Roberts were apprehended at a hotel in Toledo, Ohio, while Coleman was taken into custody in Detroit. The trio faced a litany of serious charges, including murder, kidnapping, and torture. Prosecutors detailed a brutal ordeal where Deontae was abducted and subjected to violence before his life was ultimately taken.
In the end, all three individuals were held accountable for their roles in the senseless crime. Gregory Walker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping, receiving a sentence of 40 to 60 years in prison, with an additional two years for a felony firearm charge. Lillian Roberts also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping and was sentenced to 24 to 40 years behind bars. Earnest Coleman pleaded guilty to charges of torture and unlawful imprisonment, resulting in a prison sentence of 14 to 17 years. The resolution of the case brought a measure of justice for Deontae's family, though it could never erase the pain of their profound loss.
