A special team has issued its report on a wrongful conviction in Detroit, saying mistakes made early in the investigation led to the robbery conviction that unraveled years later. 

The matter involved Eric Anderson, who spent nine years in prison for an armed robbery that took place in 2010 in Detroit. That conviction was vacated in 2019. The judge’s sentence had called for 30 to 50 years in prison. 

The Wayne County Sentinel Event Review Team presented its findings Monday, upon a review requested by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. 

This review is the first of its kind in Michigan, authorities said. It identifies 40 “contributing factors that led to the inaccurate conviction,” and provides over two dozen recommendations to help boost the fairness and accuracy of the criminal justice system in Wayne County. While this idea had been in the works for years, Worthy said it took grant money and the careful selection of an appropriate investigation to use as the case study. She hopes to repeat the process with another case in the future.

“I think when mistakes are made, it’s prudent to determine how and why they were made to ensure they are not made in the future,” Worthy said. “I like that this review is done in a blame-free environment to get to the heart of the problem. I am hopeful that the adoption of these recommendations will help prevent future wrongful convictions and increase public confidence in the criminal justice system.” 

The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School led the effort. Other agencies involved were Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Detroit Police Department, the Third Judicial Court of Michigan, the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office and the Cooley Innocence Project. 

The team concluded that errors happened at multiple steps during the robbery case, from eyewitness identification and investigation to trial and post-conviction. 

“The process is not about blame – it is about building a safer, more transparent, and more reliable justice system,” said John Hollway, Senior Advisor to the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at Penn Carey Law. 

For example, authorities said there was only one eyewitness account. The robbery victim had been injured. There was poor lighting in the area. The assailants were masked. An identification was made based on a photograph that was not taken around the time of the robbery. 

“The review underscores that eyewitness misidentification remains one of the most powerful drivers of wrongful conviction. Strengthening procedures around identifications is essential to ensuring that the system protects the innocent and holds the guilty accountable,” said Valerie Newman, Director of the WCPO’s Conviction Integrity Unit. 

A sworn confession from one of the actual perpetrators sent this case into further review, authorities said. The WCPO Conviction Integrity Unit determined that the other two men committed the robbery and asked that this conviction be vacated. 

The recommendations from this review focus on taking precautions early in an investigation, before errors can build up. This includes evaluation of eyewitness identifications, alibi questioning and case documentation. 

The report also noted that some technology that is commonly used today, including cell phone location tracking and license plate recognition cameras, was not available when the initial crime took place. 

A Milwaukee teenager convicted of killing two St. Anthony High School students will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Circuit Judge Laura Crivello handed down the life sentence for Moses Martinez on Nov. 14. Martinez filed papers that same day signaling his intent to appeal the conviction, online court records show.

Martinez was 17 when prosecutors say he fatally shot Diego Herrera-Mejia, 16, and Isaac Rodriguez, 15, on the 800 block of West Manitoba Street on June 15, 2024.

In August, a jury found Martinez, now 18, guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless injury and fleeing police.

The state dismissed charges of driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent and misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.

More: Three charged in the death of 18-year-old Milwaukee man that involved a ploy to steal his gun

Here’s what prosecutors say happened to Diego Herrera-Mejia and Isaac Rodriguez

An 18-year-old was recently sentenced to nearly 14 years(165 months) in prison for a murder in Minneapolis in April.

Darnail Arnez LaBrec pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Oct. 13 after being certified as an adult on Oct. 2. He was given credit for 196 days already served.

Teen certified as an adult in April Minneapolis homicide | Man, juvenile charged in April Minneapolis murder | Man found shot to death inside of crashed vehicle, homicide investigation underway

Minneapolis police responded to a shooting at an apartment building on West River Road North in April. According to the criminal complaint, the call was updated to say that a car had crashed into the door to the underground parking and a man with a gunshot wound was found inside.

Davione Daunte Charles Collins, 27, had been shot in the neck, and court documents state he likely died instantly.

Investigators identified the two suspects as LaBrec, who was 17 at the time, and 20-year-old Jayce Nasir Cuff. According to court documents, they were helped by a third suspect.

A phone found inside the vehicle had been signed into LaBrec’s iCloud account, and investigators found messages referencing robbing someone for drugs. Marijuana prepackaged into “dime”-sized baggies was also found in the car.

Surveillance video from the night of the murder showed Collins’ vehicle parking on the west side of the building and two people approaching the driver’s side window. Court documents state that at one point, the two figures were seen jumping back and extending their arms as if pointing a gun. The vehicle’s brake lights flickered and the vehicle rolled forward while the two figures were seen running toward the apartment building.

Surveillance video from inside the building showed LaBrec and Cuff coming inside after the shooting, according to court documents.

Cuff was sentenced to over 16 years(195 months) in October.