In a Detroit home on November 9, 2015, the life of 9-year-old Daylen Makhai Head was cut short by a fatal gunshot wound to his head. The energetic and loving son, brother, and friend was in his father's home on the city's west side at the time of the incident. Initial reports suggested that the young boy had found an unsecured, loaded shotgun and accidentally shot himself.
This led to a swift investigation and the arrest of his father.
Daylen's father, 45-year-old Christopher Head, was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, child abuse, and several weapons offenses. Prosecutors alleged that as a convicted felon, Head was not only prohibited from possessing a firearm but had also negligently left a loaded shotgun accessible to his children. The case against him seemed to build as he initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a plea he would later withdraw, sending the case to trial.
The trial took a dramatic turn when Daylen's 10-year-old sister took the stand. In her testimony, she revealed that she was the one who had accidentally fired the weapon. She explained that they were playing and acting out a video game when she found the shotgun in her father's closet. She was granted immunity for her testimony, which shifted the focus of the case from a potential self-inflicted wound to a tragic accident resulting from alleged parental negligence.
Following the trial, Christopher Head was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree child abuse, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun. While acquitted of the initial second-degree murder charge, his extensive prior criminal history played a significant role in his sentencing. As a fourth-offense habitual offender, he received a lengthy prison sentence of 25 to 50 years for the involuntary manslaughter conviction, along with concurrent sentences for the other charges.
