[Previously, at WEJB/NSU:
“Detroit: Serial Killer is Murdering Prostitutes Who Advertised Online in Pairs, and Stuffing Them in Car Trunks”;
“Blackberry: Detroit’s Murder Bar—Demesha Hunt, Renisha Landers, and Now, Claudia Benson Last Seen Alive There”
“Detroit: Secret Suspect Arrested in Blackberry Club Murder of Nursing Student Claudia Benson”; and
“Detroit: No-Name Clearances of No-Name Murders”]
By Nicholas Stix
Typically, when one hears of a woman being murdered, one expects to hear that she was set upon by a crazy young black man in the middle of the night while alone, in a desolate area. Conversely, note of this case:
Victim Claudia Benson was murdered at 12:30 a.m., which is not terribly late for a Saturday night;
She was murdered in a busy area, right in front of a popular bar;
She was murdered while being escorted by friends; and
The alleged killer was not some high-string, dopey teenager or 20-year-old, but a 35-year-old career felon.
This is Detroit, where 13-year-old girls get kidnapped off the street at 7 p.m., and gang-raped for days.
What’s the point of a “first-degree premeditated murder” charge—not to mention all the other charges—against a guy with multiple prior convictions for violent crimes involving a firearm, if the most he can get is life? And he is unlikely to even serve that much.
As Dostoevsky said, in Detroit, anything is possible.
On a positive note, at least there was an arrest.
Given that no suspect was named in earlier reports, and the Detroit PD’s fondness for mysterious press releases reporting the arrests of nameless suspects for the murders of nameless victims, I suspected that the Detroit PD was just blowing smoke, in order to try and make the public believe it was on the job.
Detroit man charged with killing student during purse-snatching
2:25 p.m., January 20, 2012
By Tammy Stables Battaglia
Detroit Free Press
A 35-year-old Detroit man suspected of shooting a college student in the head during a purse-snatching has been charged with first-degree murder, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Jacob Welcome Wells is accused of shooting 21-year-old Claudia Benson of Detroit outside the Blackberry Lounge on Jan. 14, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office.
“An innocent victim was out to enjoy the city with friends on a Saturday night,” Worthy said in a release about the charges. “Instead, she was robbed and violently killed. Now a family is without a daughter, her friends are mourning the loss of a good friend, and we have lost a young college student who was poised to be a productive member of our community."
Investigators say Benson and her friends were in the 20500 block of Grand River about 12:30 a.m. when the gunman walked up to her, grabbed her purse and fatally shot her. Police say they believe Benson was the third purse-snatching victim in the area that night.
Wells has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, armed robbery, two counts of assault with intent to rob while armed, felon in possession of a firearm and second-offense felony firearm. He is expected to be arraigned at noon Saturday, according to the prosecutor’s office.
He faces life in prison without parole if convicted on the most serious charges.
[From WEJB/NSU’s Detroit File:
“Detroit: No-Name Clearances of No-Name Murders”;
“Detroit: New Crime Stats Fail Smell Test; How Could Crime Go Down 7% Overall Last Quarter, While Homicides Went Up 31%?”;
“Are White Gangs Making It Impossible to Drive City Buses in Detroit? Inquiring Minds Want to Know”;
“Detroit: Buses are So Dangerous and Unreliable That Disabled Mom of 6 Traded Her House for a Minivan”;
“Detroit: Three Men in Their 20s Allegedly Kidnapped and Gang-Raped Girl, 13, for at Least Three Days”;
“Mysterious, Anonymous Detroit News Story About Arrest of Triple Shooting Suspect, Nasir Banks”;
“Happy New Year, Detroit-Style: Club Manager was Killed, Trying to Break Up a Fight; FREEP Writer Knows Facts, but Refuses to Report Them”;
“Detroit: Serial Killer is Murdering Prostitutes Who Advertised Online in Pairs, and Stuffing Them in Car Trunks”;
“Blackberry: Detroit’s Murder Bar—Demesha Hunt, Renisha Landers, and Now, Claudia Benson Last Seen Alive There”; and
“Detroit: Murder Up 12%, but ‘Serious’ Crime is Down; Broken Windows Policing is on the Way.”]
3 comments:
There was something about this case on HLN's Special Report with Vinnie Politan a few days ago. There was an altercation outside the Detroit courthouse when the suspect was arraigned.
Wells, it seems, has a large family who verbally assaulted Cladia Benson's mother and friends. A female relative of Wells yelled and screamed at the victim's mother, blaming her for Wells being arrested.
Someone got it on video.
David In TN
First of all, there were only three people in that crowd that were there for Jacob. The rest of those people were there for Claudia. So it was about twenty of them vs three people for Jacob. Claudia's family was not verbally assualted. Claudia's family was upset and threatened the life of Jacob's child. Jacob's family reacted to the threat of the little boy. The cameras were not rolling when all of that took place.
There is no excuse in the world for the way Jacobs baby mother reacted, she was the one upset for the simple fact that her man was going to jail,so I don't understand to save my own life y u guys keep using Jacob child for an excuse and her stupidity, WHAT the hell is wrong with u folks. For one Claudia's family DID'NT threaten Jacobs child, what was said was, what if that was your child that got shot in the head, and that was because of a comment that Jacob family said leaveing out of the court house. For two y would Ms.Benson threaten a child that was not there and she never seen before, and do'nt even know his where abouts,nor rather the baby even exist give me a break people. For three Claudia's family was verbally assualted that's all in the video, what u blind,now Ms.Benson and her family was'nt physical assualted, the point is they where assualted for loseing her baby girl WOW what the FCK. It do'nt matter cause Jacob ass is going to riot in jail, and the rest of u assholes God have mercy on your soul cause u all going to HELL!
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