In the early morning hours of March 18, 2017, a violent home invasion in Detroit tragically cut short the life of 43-year-old Michelle Davis-Asaka. The devastating event unfolded at a residence on Rutherford Street, where a gunman forcibly entered the home while the family was asleep. The assailant opened fire, creating a scene of terror and chaos that would leave three family members dead.
Michelle Davis-Asaka was killed in the brutal attack, along with her 60-year-old father, Robert
Pittman, and her 23-year-old nephew, Darrion Jones. In a desperate attempt to save herself, Davis-Asaka reportedly ran into her father's room, where both were fatally shot. Jones was also killed during the rampage. A fourth individual in the home was wounded in a shootout with the gunman but survived. Another woman who was present in the house managed to escape physical harm.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Demaro Devone Horne of Southgate, was arrested shortly after the incident at a local hospital where he had sought treatment for injuries sustained during the commission of the crime. An investigation revealed that Horne had a prior criminal record and had been released from prison just months before the triple homicide.
Demaro Devone Horne was subsequently charged with a litany of offenses, including three counts of open murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, first-degree home invasion, and felony firearm violations. Ultimately, Horne entered into a plea agreement. A Michigan Court of Appeals order from August 2018 indicates that he was to be sentenced to a term of 25 to 60 years in prison for convictions of second-degree murder and assault with intent to murder. This sentence was to be served concurrently with a consecutive five-year sentence for a felony-firearm conviction.
