On December 6, 2014, a violent incident unfolded on the 9300 block of Woodlawn Street in Detroit, Michigan, claiming the life of Charles Graham. The 79-year-old male from Westland had traveled to the area during the early morning hours, allegedly to participate in a transaction involving pills. Authorities later described the meeting as a drug deal that turned fatal after a dispute arose regarding payment for the narcotics.
According to investigators, Graham met with two younger men, Dale Morgan and Cortez Butler, and entered a vehicle to conduct the exchange. It was during this interaction that Butler reportedly handed the pills to Graham and requested payment. A brief argument ensued between the parties, escalating quickly until Graham was shot in the head. Following the shooting, both suspects fled the scene, leaving the elderly victim behind.
Law enforcement officers from the Detroit Police Department launched an investigation that led to the identification and arrest of the two men involved. Dale Morgan, a 42-year-old resident of Ypsilanti, was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, and felony firearm possession. The second suspect, 24-year-old Cortez Butler of Detroit, was also arrested and arraigned on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The suspects were held as the legal proceedings commenced in the 36th District Court.
