Grandfather of 18-year-old suspected serial rapist says teen also confessed to killing man in park

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Jobe Hughley and his wife got an unexpected phone call from their 18-year-old grandson.

He told them he was in jail and that he was sorry he has been a burden on them, but that he wouldn't be a burden anymore. And then Hughley says his grandson told them about some of his crimes.

"I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. He'd just go and kill somebody or rape somebody. That's not the way he was raised", Hughley told 7 Action News.

Jobe Hughley says he and his wife adopted their grandson, Job, years ago after their son, the boy's father, passed away.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Job Hughley with multiple charges including ten counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct - First Degree, Kidnapping, and Assault with Intent to Murder.

The charges stem from three sexual assault cases, including one Thursday afternoon on Detroit's west side in which the young Hughley allegedly attacked a 36-year-old Detroit mother walking with her toddler in a stroller.

Investigators say he attempted to sexually assault her at gunpoint and when she tried to escape, he shot her in the back.

Detroit Police caught the teenaged Hughley with a handgun just a few blocks away.

Worthy said, "I have not seen allegations of an attempted rape on a mother simply trying to take her child for a stroll in all my years of working in criminal justice. Because of the diligent work of the Detroit Police Department and my office, Hughley is now charged with multiple counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct and other serious charges relating to three different women".

In the late afternoon of April 10, near the Southfield freeway and West Warren, investigators say Hughley kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman multiple times at gunpoint.

On April 4, around 7:00 p.m., investigators say Hughley sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman who was walking in the area of Grand River and Warwick. 

Hughley allegedly put a gun to her back and forced her to an alley behind a vacant house where he assaulted her multiple times.

Hughley has not yet been charged with murder, but police suspect him in Monday's killing of 55-year-old Mike Cavanaugh. 

Cavanaugh, the son of a retired Detroit Firefighter, lived with his father and spent much of his time cleaning up Stoepel Park.

Cavanaugh's sister says they just want to know why he was targeted. Kathy Johnson says her brother suffered a serious brain injury from a beating years ago and since then people often picked on him because he seemed slow and walked with an awkward gait.

On Saturday, 18-year-old Job Hughley is expected to be arraigned in 36th District Court on the three sex assault cases.

Hughley's grandfather told 7 Action News when his grandson called him from jail, he also admitted to Cavanaugh's killing in the park.

Jobe Hughley says raising his grandson for the last 12 years has been difficult. He says Job has been in and out of mental health facilities for years due to his anger issues and fighting.

Jobe Hughley believes many of his grandson's problems stem from a brain injury he suffered when he was a little boy. He adds that Job has also felt abandoned by his parents who died from natural causes when he was very young.

Last year, while receiving treatment in a mental health facility, 18-year-old Hughley allegedly attacked a guard and a psychiatrist.

Although he attended church with his grandmother for many years, Jobe Hughley says their grandson, who is very smart and articulate, calls himself a "satanist".