Mother of two men charged with murder accused of being accessory after the fact
The mother of two young men charged in the fatal shooting of a man Sunday outside a Kmart in Ypsilanti Township has now been charged in the case, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department spokesman Derrick Jackson said tonight.
Tina Crockett is in the Washtenaw County Jail, charged with accessory after the fact to a homicide.
She is being held on $300,000 bond, jail officials said. Jackson did not have details on the allegations against her.
Her sons, 20-year-old Michael Dshawn Crockett and 16-year-old Charles Pippens, are each jailed on charges including open murder in the death of 20-year-old Chris King. No other arrests are anticipated.
King, of Ypsilanti Township, was fatally shot at about 4 p.m. Sunday outside a Kmart near the intersection of Washtenaw Avenue and Golfside Road.
Deputies say at least two guns were involved in the incident - one of which was recovered at the scene.
Investigators say they have not been able to determine whether the gun recovered at the scene belonged to either of the brothers charged in the case.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Momma G
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 3:29 p.m.
Good, involved parenting, isn't it? Let's put our school funds toward teaching parenting when children are born and continue until they are at least thru elementary school. Have predicted an outcome like this as early as K-2nd, but do education leaders from the top down listen? No they want to blame the teachers - WRONG!
JustTheFax
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 1:40 p.m.
@Dave66 - Not quite sure who you are telling to read more carefully, or what exactly your point is for that matter? Story quote: "Deputies say at least two guns were involved in the incident - one of which was recovered at the scene." I was trying to help explain to @krc what "accesory after the fact" can mean, and that we will learn details when they become available. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't read anyone speculating which was the murder weapon.
Dave66
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 11:58 a.m.
Read it again, and this time carefully. I think the key word in the sentence, "Investigators say they have not been able to determine whether the gun recovered at the scene belonged to either of the brothers charged in the case" is BELONGED. Obviously you can have a gun that doesn't belong to you, right? The story doesn't say if they're trying to determine if it's the murder weapon, it says they don't know if it belonged to one of the boys.
JustTheFax
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 9:49 a.m.
@krc - Been following the earlier stories and it looks like one of the two guns was missing. As stated earlier, "accesory after the fact can be alot of things" including the hiding of this weapon, helping the suspect to hide, giving false information as to the whereabouts, etc. These cases aren't solved in the media, so information is released when it is no longer a critical point to the investigation. There is a fine line between protecting your children and helping them try to get away with murder. We'll find out what she did soon enough.
jjc155
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 9:37 a.m.
@krc-accesory after the fact can be alot of things. Pretty much if the person has knowledge of the crime and provides assistance to the suspect in some manner. Typically it is " I just shot someone and I need a ride out of town" or " Here is some money to get a bus ticket" or "You can hide out here and if the police ask I say I didnt see you." No idea what she did in this particular case but those are some common types of accesory after the fact senario's. Being that she is the mom of the two suspects I'm guessing it is something along that lines.
krc
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 9:16 a.m.
How was she "an accessory after the fact"? Or is that privileged information? Also, thanks for all the info on fingerprints. Being an avid TV watcher, I was under the impression that fingerprint ID happened within days, if not hours after a crime. More on that: The gun was probably handed around a gang of kids before this tragedy happened. You know - "Maaan, let me hold it!"
Otto
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 8:19 a.m.
2 kids, 2 fathers = 2x the opportunity for guidance.
Ricebrnr
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 7:57 a.m.
Now that much more of the story is out, I'd like to hear more from DeNise Crockett. Anything else to add?
jjc155
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 7:27 a.m.
@amazon like stated above real life is not like CSI. A very very small percent of crimes are solved by latent prints. A firearm is not always the best surface to get prints off of (the absolute best is clean glass, LOL) and it actually takes a good print with several identifiable points to make an ID( I think MSP lab is useing atleast 7 points currently). Throw that on top of the back log at the lab and even for a homicide WITHOUT suspects and you will wait about 2-3months for latent print analysis and that is if you send them lifed prints and they dont have to actually process the item for prints first. They may actually have a higher chance of success with swabbing the grip area of the gun for skin cells for DNA (gribbing the gun hard, sweating etc) and cross check it with the two arrestees. But even for DNA you are looking at atleast 6 months even for a "rush job". at this point the most important thing is that the two suspects are locked up and charged, prints, dna, balistics can all come later if needed. They will not be needed to get the case bound over for trial.
Craig Lounsbury
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 7:16 a.m.
"This is just a "Sign of the Times" that we are living in" I would suggest its merely a sign of human nature. Whether you believe the bible literally, symbolically or not at all its worth noting that in the first book of the bible within the first 6-10 pages we have the first "official" murder.
rob
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 11:36 p.m.
wow im speechless R.I.P K.I.N.G never forgotton
YpsilantiResident
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 11:34 p.m.
@stunhsif Having two sons with different last names is not all that uncommon. All that means is that the boys probably have different fathers. And it doesn't even necessarily have to mean that. I have a friend, he and his older brother (they have the same mother AND father) but different last names because their parents weren't married when the first son was born, he took their mother's maiden name when he was born. After getting married, and several years later they had a second child (the friend of mine) and he has their married name now.
Merkava
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 11:04 p.m.
@ amazonwarrior real life is not like CSI Miami. fingerprint evidence is not always able to be recovered. likewise, ballistic forensics (especially rifling analysis) is rarely a factor in most homicide cases. most cases come down to old fashioned police work by investigators.
amazonwarrior
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 10:42 p.m.
"Investigators say they have not been able to determine whether the gun recovered at the scene belonged to either of the brothers charged in the case." Anyone ever hear of finger prints??? What a tragedy for all the families involved. Unfortunately, I must agree with Dawhood, the times are going to get worse.
stunhsif
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.
They are brothers 4 years apart and have different last names, what gives? Are both her biological sons? They obviously both have made a huge mistake that will impact their lives/ their families lives/ their victims lives/ and the taxpayers lives forever!
dawhood
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 8:37 p.m.
I feel sorry for all the lives that are ruined after the fact. Sure cooler heads should have prevailed and they didn't. This is just a "Sign of the Times" that we are living in.. Hold on the times are going to wax "Worse"
paroleeplanet
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 6:56 p.m.
ezbngreen, I couldn't agree more about the MPRI money. My being a client and all.
ezbngreen
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 5:50 p.m.
I bet when the acorn fell it didn't hit her head first; my guess is it's descent to the ground started generations ago. I hope no MPRI money is wasted on this lot.
Kent2525
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 5:46 p.m.
Well, the mom and her 2 sons....Thats just special..