MACOMB COUNTY (WXYZ) — A decade ago, her son was brutally kidnapped and gunned down in a case that stunned all of metro Detroit. Now, the mother of Matt Landry and Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith are speaking out for Matt's two killers not to have a second chance at freedom.
This comes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that essentially gives juveniles sentenced to life in prison without parole a potential at release through another hearing. Doreen Landry says she will never get over the murder of her son Matthew, after he was kidnapped from an Eastpointe sandwich shop.
“He was only there to get a sandwich for his sick girlfriend and in that five minutes, it happened,” says Prosecutor Eric Smith.
“My son was a wonderful person who lived to help others and he was such a joy,” Doreen said.
The 21-year-old from Chesterfield Township died back in August 2009, at the hands of convicted killers Ihab Masalmani and Robert Taylor. Landry had been shot in the back of the head at an abandoned home in Detroit after being abducted from outside the sandwich shop at Gratiot and 10 Mile Road.
“They did all this and tore a family apart to use his credit card and buy some gas and dope,” Smith said. He adds that as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Masalmani’s sentence will be looked at again by the Michigan Supreme Court. At the time of the murder, Masalmani was 17 years old, technically a juvenile just three months shy of 18.
That’s despite the fact, the state court of appeals affirmed life without parole sentences for both men in 2016. Taylor was 16 at the time and his sentence could also be impacted. Masalmani was also convicted of armed bank robbery and carjacking following Landry’s murder.
“Neither has ever expressed remorse for what they did,” Doreen said.
Prosecutor Eric Smith says a date for a hearing before the State Supreme Court is still being set. He’s making sure his office is fully prepared to argue for keeping both men locked up for life.
