On March 1, 2010, a visit to a boyfriend's house on Glastonbury Road in Detroit turned into a scene of unimaginable horror for 26-year-old Monica Sarah Botello and her two young daughters. That evening, while Monica and her children, ages eight and six, were with her boyfriend, 26-year-old Purcell Carson, two men entered the home. An argument broke out, leading the intruders to force Monica and her daughters into an upstairs bathroom to hide while they took Carson to the basement.
The
men returned for Monica, taking her to the basement as well, leaving her terrified daughters alone. From the bathroom, the children heard the sounds of gunshots. After the assailants fled, Monica's 8-year-old daughter found her mother and Carson in the basement. Both had been shot in the head after having their mouths and wrists bound with duct tape. The young girl bravely used her mother's cell phone to call 911, a heart-wrenching plea for help that would later be released by police to aid in the search for the suspects. In the call, the distressed child struggled to provide the dispatcher with the address, begging her dying mother to tell her where they were.
When police arrived, they found Purcell Carson deceased at the scene. Monica Botello was still alive but succumbed to her injuries after being rushed to the hospital. The investigation quickly focused on two suspects, Derrick Dennard Smith, 42, and a second man, Devi Smith, who were not related. Derrick Smith, who had an extensive criminal history and had recently been released from prison, was apprehended in Gardena, California, shortly after the murders. A prison discharge slip belonging to him was found in a coat at the crime scene. Monica's daughters later identified him in a photo lineup. The second suspect, Devi Smith, was arrested about six months later.
Both men faced justice for their crimes. Derrick Dennard Smith was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of torture, receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Devi Smith's first trial resulted in a hung jury. However, a second trial concluded with convictions for first-degree murder, torture, and felony firearm possession, also earning him a sentence of life in prison without parole. While a clear motive was never fully established, it was believed to be connected to the criminal histories of Carson and the perpetrators.
