In the winter of 2016, a 33-year-old Black woman named Nicole Smith vanished from her Detroit, Michigan home. The day after she was last seen, on December 11th, her young son, just a year old at the time, was found wandering alone on a nearby street. For two years, her family held onto hope, searching tirelessly for answers. Their agonizing wait finally came to an end in December of 2018 when a man named Robert Autrey, Smith's ex-boyfriend, confessed to her murder.
Autrey, who was already in custody for a separate sexual assault case and facing the possibility of a life sentence, led investigators to a desolate, abandoned apartment on the city's west side. It was there that they found Nicole Smith's remains.
The investigation revealed a story of profound betrayal and violence. Autrey had murdered Smith in front of her own child. After the horrific act, he left her body in the vacant apartment and then abandoned her son on the street. In a plea deal, Robert Autrey pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The courtroom was filled with the raw grief and anger of Nicole Smith's family as they confronted the man who had stolen her from them. Her grandfather spoke of the family's heartbreak, while her aunt expressed her utter devastation. In addition to his murder conviction, Autrey was also a convicted sex offender. He was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison for the murder of Nicole Smith and will be on the sex offender registry for the rest of his life.
In the spring of 2018, the life of a beloved 36-year-old Black woman, Michelle Nicole Briscoe, was tragically cut short in her Inkster, Michigan apartment. A dedicated dance teacher, her sudden and violent death sent shockwaves through her community. On the morning of March 29th, neighbors in her apartment complex heard loud noises, a prelude to the tragedy that was unfolding. Shortly after, Michelle's boyfriend, 35-year-old Jerome Duckwyler, appeared at their door with his and Michelle's four-year-old son. He told them he and Michelle had been fighting and asked them to look after the child. He then instructed them to call 911. When police arrived at Michelle's residence, they found her with multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation swiftly pointed to Jerome Duckwyler as the perpetrator. In a move that suggested a troubled conscience, he turned himself in to the Detroit police. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office charged him with first-degree murder and felony firearms. The legal proceedings that followed painted a grim picture of domestic violence that had escalated to its most tragic conclusion. As the case moved through the court system, Duckwyler was held in jail without bond. The loss of Michelle Nicole Briscoe was a profound one, felt deeply by her students, friends, and family, who remembered her as a vibrant and caring woman whose passion for dance touched many lives.
