In the late hours of a Saturday in March 2016, Modou Diagne was working, driving for Uber in Detroit, Michigan, a job he had held for three years to provide for his growing family. A Senegalese immigrant who had come to the United States in search of a better life, the 51-year-old was known for his relentless work ethic, often working 19-hour days without a day off. He was a husband and a father to three young children, with another on the way.
His efforts to build a life for his family were tragically cut short on March 19th.
That night, a 23-year-old man named Dajuan Watson requested an Uber. During the ride, an altercation broke out between Watson and Diagne. The dispute escalated with horrific speed, ending when Watson shot Diagne multiple times. First responders were called to what initially appeared to be a traffic accident on the city's west side, in the 5500 block of Pacific Avenue. Instead of a simple car crash, they found Diagne inside his SUV, gravely wounded. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the gunshot wounds proved to be fatal.
The investigation that followed quickly identified Dajuan Watson as the primary suspect. It was revealed that the only item stolen from Diagne was his cell phone. Within a month of the murder, Watson was arrested and subsequently charged with a litany of serious crimes, including first-degree murder, armed robbery, and felony firearm possession. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office built a case against him, detailing how a routine Uber ride had turned into a deadly encounter.
Dajuan Watson's case proceeded through the justice system, and he was ultimately convicted for the murder of Modou Diagne. In March of 2017, he was sentenced to a life in prison for the killing. In addition to the life sentence, Watson received a sentence of 37 and a half to 75 years for armed robbery and an additional two years for the felony firearms violation. In a final act of defiance, Watson refused to leave his cell to attend his own sentencing hearing, a silent end to a case that had so violently and senselessly taken the life of a hardworking family man.
