Stolen Sunshine

People naturally open their doors when someone on the other side knocks or rings the bell. We naturally trust people. It’s built into our DNA until someone compromises that trust, but until they do, we open the door.

Anyone working in a job or owning a business that deals with easily stolen commodities—such as jewelry—should be especially cautious of strangers. It’s a sad reality.

The couple in this true crime were vulnerable on several levels. The husband owned a pawn shop. They lived alone and were older. So, the first time two men showed up at the couple’s door, the husband opened the door. Claiming there was a possible gas leak and that they needed to check inside the home, the husband didn’t let them inside.

When the same two men returned the next day, they wore yellow reflective vests, face masks, and one had a clipboard with the insignia of the local gas company on it—they seemed legit to the older man. He showed them to the basement, where they beat him. He didn’t survive.

After they murdered the husband, the men tied up the wife and then ransacked their home. Sometime later, the wife got her hands free and called in an emergency. She wrongly assumed that the men had abducted her husband.

The home security camera footage caught the two men, which led to law enforcement arresting them.

Neither man accepted responsibility, and both went to trial. The juries for both trials found the men guilty of murder. At the sentencing hearing, a son spoke on behalf of the family. Reading a poem written by his mother about his losing her husband, in part it said:

“They have stolen my sunshine. They have stolen my happiness….”

Before issuing her sentence, the judge said to the men,

“Rarely does the court see this level of depravity, this level of arrogance and greed.”

Then she sentenced both men, one aged 37 and the other 39, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

*Anytime someone claims to be a representative of any business and needs to be allowed inside your home, close the door (better yet, don’t open it) and call the business to verify they’ve sent an employee to your home or call 9-1-1.

Source: Oakland County Sheriff, People, Law & Crime, Click on Detroit, ABC 30 Action News, DTE Energy

All data and information provided is for information and research purposes only and not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. Criminal cases may have been appealed or verdicts overturned since I researched the case. All information is provided on an as-is basis.