DETROIT (WXYZ) — An emotional day in court brought two developments Monday in the case of a 34-year-old man who was stabbed to death in Livonia in May.
Scott Harrington was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to larceny and receiving and concealing stolen property. Immediately afterward, jury selection was completed and the murder trial of Spencer Krusell got underway.
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The case stems from the stabbing death of Nicholos Hatcher along Middlebelt Road near West Chicago Street.
Hatcher’s mother, Felisha Hatcher, spent the day in court and addressed the courtroom before Harrington was sentenced.
“I don’t want to walk away today feeling like a justice system that says it will protect and serve,” Hatcher said. “I want it to do what it says it does.”
Harrington was 26 and living in Taylor at the time of his arrest.
Felisha Hatcher told 7 News Detroit that her son was a chef who had just left work in Livonia and was preparing to head to another job when he stopped at a plasma center.
Investigators say Harrington grabbed Hatcher’s backpack and ran. Krusell, who was 30 and living in Highland Park at the time, is accused of stabbing and killing Hatcher after Hatcher chased the men.
Krusell’s defense attorney, Charles Longstreet, told jurors his client acted in self-defense.
“Mr. Krusell is going to tell you himself, ‘I didn’t pull that knife out to stab him. I pulled that knife out to get him to stop him from jumping on me, to stop him from coming forward,’” Longstreet said.
Prosecuting attorney Sara Bonomo acknowledged Hatcher became physical during the confrontation but questioned whether the stabbing was justified.
“Nicholos does. He gets physical. He punches them,” Bonomo told jurors. “Again, they still don’t walk away. So, the argument before you, for you to decide is, is this self-defense? Is this killing justified?”
Prosecutors called a Livonia police officer to the stand, followed by several witnesses and Felisha Hatcher.
Harrington’s two-year probation sentence left Hatcher’s mother disappointed.
“It is what I consider a slap on the wrist,” she said. “It is a slap on the wrist, and that is due to, again, the law that is put there to protect and serve, but according to the prosecutor, that was the best that they could do.”
Jurors were dismissed for the day and are scheduled to return Tuesday at 9:15 a.m.
Both sides told jurors they can expect to see Ring camera video showing what happened during the confrontation.
This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence to convert a 7 News Detroit broadcast script into a digital story. It was reviewed and edited for accuracy, clarity and journalistic standards.
