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Michigan State Police report requests perjury charges against fmr. DPD officer in Sanford case

Posted at 8:23 PM, Jun 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-22 09:13:23-04

We’re learning more information in the case of Davontae Sanford.

He’s the young man released from prison this month, after serving almost 9 years for a murder he did not commit.

Detroit police misconduct and a confessed killer led to Sanford’s new freedom.

Now a Michigan State Police investigation that looked at the Sanford case has concluded with a request for perjury charges against former Detroit commander James Tolbert.

Tolbert talked with me last week. 

In addition, the motion that got all of this started in April of last year, filed by the Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan along with the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth at Northwestern Law School, outlines more police at fault.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic told the court another Detroit police sergeant working with commander Tolbert took Sanford’s statements - or confessions - neither of which got anything right about the crime, except information already known to police.

When Sanford asked for an attorney he was told he was a dumb [redacted] and no lawyer was up this time of night.

Sanford was told by police, ‘we know you did it’ because they found blood on his shoes.

Plus, Sanford could go home if he would ‘just tell them something.’

Sanford started making up something, based on details about the crime police fed him.

Kym Worthy has spent weeks and is still mulling over the fate of James Tolbert.

Tolbert testified then 14-year-old Davontae Sanford drew a sketch of the crime scene where 4 people were killed in a drug house and that Sanford drew it on a clean sheet of paper.

Tolbert changed his story in an interview with state police last fall.

Before the innocence clinic got onto this case, Sanford was serving 37 to 90 years.

The innocence clinic worked with state police in their investigation.

A month after Sanford was sent to prison back in 2008, a paid hit man, Vincent Smothers, confessed to those murders - but it was not followed up in depth.

It is still not known when the Wayne County Prosecutor will make her decision on perjury for Tolbert, but it has to be before July 13 when the statute of limitations runs out.