Dominic Oyerinde to go on trial next month in slaying of 17-year-old Ann Arbor student
Dominic Oyerinde's troubled relationship with his girlfriend prior to her slaying demonstrates the control he had over the 17-year-old Huron High student, a prosecutor argued today.
Oyerinde's attorney countered their past is irrelevant and only serves to damage his character.
Dominic Oyerinde appears during a hearing to determine whether he was fit to stand trial. Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Whether a jury will hear of those incidents - including him throwing keys and deleting phone numbers off Anna List's phone - won't be decided until the morning of Oyerinde's trial.
Oyerinde, 21, who appeared in Washtenaw County Circuit Court today, will go on trial March 8 on charges of open murder and carjacking. He is accused of bludgeoning List with a hammer early on the morning of Jan. 13, 2009, outside Recreation Park in Ypsilanti.
Prosecutors say he then stole List’s van and fled to a relative's house in Detroit, where police found him less than a day later.
During a hearing Wednesday, Judge Archie Brown quashed a motion by Oyerinde’s public defender, Tim Niemann, to dismiss the carjacking charge.
Niemann argued the intent to steal has to be established prior to or during the homicide, and evidence didn't suggest an intent to steal the van until after the murder.
Assistant Prosecutor Eric Gutenberg argued the record is “replete” with Oyerinde's intent to steal the car prior to the slaying.
Brown ultimately allowed the charge to stand.
Brown also scheduled an evidentiary hearing for the morning of the trial to decide whether the jury will hear of past incidents between Oyerinde and List.
Nader Nassif, part of Oyerinde’s defense team, said the testimony is character evidence, which is inadmissible in most cases in Michigan.
Gutenberg listed the four incidents, which were:
- Oyerinde stealing List’s keys and throwing them away, causing her to be stranded.
- Oyerinde intentionally spilling List’s coffee.
- Oyerinde throwing a brick through the windshield of List’s van.
- Oyerinde deleting phone numbers of males he is said to have been jealous of from List’s phone.
Gutenberg contended the four statements demonstrate Oyerinde's control over List, and the consequences when she wasn’t compliant and pushed back.
He said the jury needs to know the context of the relationship between them, not just the specific events and facts on the night of her death.
“That would be like trying the case in a vacuum,” Gutenberg said. “The jury is entitled to have a fuller picture of the parties’ relationship.”
Nassif countered the statements do nothing but ruin Oyerinde’s character.
“They have nothing to do with the actual case at hand,” he said. “They potentially show a bad relationship, they inflame the jury and show that Dominic is not a good guy.”
He said jurors could listen to the facts on the night of the murder alone and render a decision.
“He’s not on trial for everything he has ever done,” Nassif said.
During the evidentiary hearing on the morning of the trial, witnesses to the statements are expected to testify.
Oyerinde is also charged with assault with intent to murder, assault to commit bodily harm less than murder and assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
someguy734
Sat, Feb 27, 2010 : 1:52 a.m.
dominic is a crazy person i know him personally he needs to be sentenced to death because i dont want my tax dollars wasted on him.
ypsidog
Sat, Feb 20, 2010 : 8:45 a.m.
They'll be changing his name to Dominique very soon!! He better get other than a public defense attorney if he wants to have adequate representation.
matt
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 4:28 p.m.
It doesn't matter if Oyerinde is white, black or rainbow. Every single shred of evidence points to his guilt. To say that he's guilty because of the color of his skin is a ridiculous claim. UnsureOfanything is spot on in saying "everything about this case is sad." Anna List lost her life and Dominic Oyerinde has ruined his.
treetowncartel
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.
He has one of the best attorneys in the county in Niemann.
UnsureOfAnything
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 11:02 a.m.
Racism is still the pre-eminent social problem facing this country, and so slogans such as our only sin is our skin do have meaning. In this case, however, the sin was murder. A mountain of evidence suggests that the defendant alone did this, and absolutely no evidence suggests otherwise. I happened to be in that courtroom yesterday. His hair is just that hair, and I think it is irrelevant. To me he looked frightened and cornered. I think he does care, and I think he regrets doing what he did. But he did it, and the weight of the law mercy will be visited upon him with little mercy. Everything about this case is sad.
Mumbambu, Esq.
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.
Right on I_love_ann_arbor!
Jed I Knight
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 3:29 a.m.
He beat and killed her and then stole her van, which he was then later found with. I think there are times when its quite farcical to play the innocent until proven guilty game.
I_love_ann_arbor
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 1:13 a.m.
I agree with O'neal except..this guy did the crime. Look at the evidence. i actually feel that he should stop wasting tax dollars fighting a case he is going to lose. Skin color doesn't matter when it comes to taking another person life. BTW, why is Tim Neimann still doing Public defender work??? He's simply going for a plea. Oh yeah....I'm African American as well. I have zero sympathy for this clown. In fact, HE is one of the reason WE are stereotyped as violent animals. Look at his picture! Does he look as though he cares? WCJ does have a barber. You know and I know he committed the crime. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Race has nothing to do with this one, 'brotha'.
skigrl
Wed, Feb 17, 2010 : 9:55 p.m.
I sat through Huron High School's graduation ceremony last June and saw Anna's empty chair and her twin brother accept her diploma for her. I did everything I could to hold back the tears. Leave the technicalities out of the trial... get on with it already, it's been over a year.
ypsidog
Wed, Feb 17, 2010 : 8:55 p.m.
ronn oneal, lets just assume this was YOUR 17 year old daughter still runnin' your mouth now?? read and understand the evidence, then tell me different!! your skin, what a joke
ronn oneal
Wed, Feb 17, 2010 : 8:01 p.m.
Well what ever the judge and Lawyers tried to do to make sure this Human got a fair trial is wasted thanks to the media informing ever person in town and jurors that may have given him the benefit of the doubt that he was innocent til proven guilty but the media always stands at that point of view that we are guilty until proven innocent and our only sin is our skin.