In the early morning hours of August 4, 2013, 41-year-old Kenneth Peete, an African-American male also known as 'Skip,' was found murdered in his home on West Outer Drive and Santa Barbara on Detroit's west side. Initially, his death was reported as the result of a home invasion. However, the investigation into his killing would soon unravel a complex and tragic story of betrayal and further violence that extended beyond that single event.
As detectives delved into the circumstances
surrounding Peete's death, suspicion began to fall on his wife, Lakeshia Peete. Investigators uncovered what they believed to be a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Lakeshia to obtain a million-dollar life insurance policy. The case took another dark turn with the death of 18-year-old Laquita Logan, a family friend who had been living in the Peete's basement. Authorities believe Logan was killed because she had knowledge of the plot to murder Kenneth Peete.
The investigation into Logan's death led to the arrests of Lakeshia Peete, her son Kenjuan Peete, and his half-sister, Deja Gatewood. The three were accused of beating and stabbing Logan before she was fatally shot in the head. In court proceedings related to Logan's death, Lakeshia Peete was ultimately acquitted of felony murder and torture but was convicted of the lesser offense of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. She was sentenced to 80 months to 10 years in prison for her role in the brutal assault. The investigation suggested that after the prolonged beating of Logan, a conversation with Lakeshia and others led to the decision to kill her to prevent her from reporting what she knew to the police.
