The story of Davontae Sanford is a stark and painful reminder of the fragility of justice, especially for the young and vulnerable. It is a narrative woven from police misconduct, systemic failure, and the tenacity of those who fought for the truth. His ordeal began on September 17, 2007, on Runyon Street in Detroit, the scene of a brutal quadruple homicides. The victims included four individuals—two women and two men—who were shot in a house just a couple of blocks from where 14-year-old Davontae Sanford lived.
Sanford, who is partially blind and has a learning disability, approached police officers canvassing the neighborhood. What followed was a complete breakdown of legal protection and ethical policing. He was brought to the precinct, where he was subjected to a prolonged, coercive interrogation by Detroit police—without a parent, guardian, or attorney present. This is a violation of the foundational principles designed to protect minors in the justice system.
The Coerced Confession and a Fatal Plea
For over 24 grueling hours, police interrogated the teenager. They allegedly lied to him, telling him they had evidence, such as blood on his shoes, linking him to the crime. They reportedly promised him that if he confessed, he would be allowed to go home. Under this immense pressure and psychological manipulation, a desperate and vulnerable Davontae Sanford finally “broke,” offering a false confession.
The confession was factually unreliable, riddled with inconsistencies that did not match the crime scene evidence. Yet, based almost entirely on this coerced statement, the prosecution proceeded with the case. Facing the prospect of a life sentence following a trial based on this weak and questionable evidence, and reportedly receiving poor legal counsel, Sanford pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder. At the age of 15, he was sentenced to a shocking 37 to 90 years in prison—a sentence that stole his entire young adulthood.
The Truth Emerges: A Hitman’s Confession
The case would have been permanently closed had it not been for a stunning turn of events that began just two weeks after Sanford was sentenced. A professional hitman, Vincent Smothers, was arrested for a string of other shootings. During his confession to authorities, he freely admitted to committing the Runyon Street homicides, among a total of twelve kllings.
Smothers’ confession was the complete opposite of Sanford’s; it was highly detailed, accurate, and perfectly corroborated by the physical evidence at the crime scene. He provided information only the true kller could have known, including leading police to one of the murder weapons. Crucially, Smothers vehemently denied that a 14-year-old boy like Davontae Sanford was his accomplice, stating he would never take on a teenager as a sidekick.
Justice Denied: Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct
The emergence of the true kller’s confession should have been an immediate path to Sanford’s freedom. Instead, his fight for justice had just begun. Disturbingly, despite the rock-solid new evidence from a known, convicted, and self-admitted hitman, authorities initially suppressed the information. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, in a move that drew widespread criticism, charged Smothers with his other kllings but initially declined to charge him with the Runyon Street homicides, the very crimes for which Davontae Sanford was already serving time.
Advocacy groups like the Michigan Innocence Clinic and the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth took up Sanford’s cause. Their relentless work, combined with pressure from journalists and the public, eventually forced the Michigan State Police to reopen the investigation. The resulting investigation exposed evidence of police misconduct, revealing that officers had lied about Sanford providing a detailed sketch of the crime scene. In reality, one of the high-ranking police officers involved, Commander James Tolbert, later admitted that he had drawn the diagram and only had Sanford point out where the bodies were located. This deliberate misrepresentation of evidence was a key factor in securing the false confession and subsequent conviction.
Exoneration and the Road to Freedom
In 2016, after nearly nine years of wrongful imprisonment, the years of advocacy finally paid off. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy moved to dismiss all charges against Davontae Sanford, and a judge vacated his conviction. However, even the formal reason for the dismissal—police misconduct in the interrogation process—did not explicitly cite Smothers’ confession, further highlighting the systemic reluctance to fully acknowledge the truth.
Davontae Sanford, now 23, walked out of prison, a free man but one whose formative years had been stolen by a flawed and unjust system. His case became a national symbol for the dire need for reform, especially concerning the interrogation of minors and the mechanisms for accountability for police misconduct.
The Battle for Compensation: A $7.5 Million Settlement
While Sanford was released under Michigan’s Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act (WICA), which provided a statutory amount of compensation, his legal team recognized that this did not account for the sheer depth of the suffering, emotional trauma, and lost life opportunities caused by the systemic violations of his rights.
In September 2017, Sanford filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Detroit and the police officers directly involved in coercing his confession and suppressing the truth, including Commander James Tolbert and Sgt. Mike Russell. The lawsuit sought to hold the city and the individuals accountable for violating Sanford’s constitutional rights, including his right to a fair trial and due process.
The legal battle stretched for years, but in March 2022, the City of Detroit reached a $7.5 million settlement with Davontae Sanford. This significant financial resolution, which was approved by the Detroit City Council, serves as both an acknowledgment of the grave injustice committed against him and one of the largest settlements of its kind in the city’s history. The settlement, while a monetary victory, is a bittersweet ending for a young man who will never regain the years of life, development, and normalcy stolen from him as a teenager.
Lessons Learned: Reforming the Justice System
The case of Davontae Sanford offers critical lessons for the American justice system, particularly:
- Protecting Juveniles During Interrogation: The psychological vulnerability of a 14-year-old, especially one with a cognitive disability, makes them highly susceptible to coercion. The case underscores the essential need for mandatory legal counsel or a guardian during the interrogation of all juveniles to prevent false confessions.
- Accountability for Police Misconduct: The failure of the system to hold police officers accountable for lying and suppressing evidence perpetuates a cycle of injustice. The fact that the officer who admitted to drawing the sketch initially faced no perjury charges highlights a serious flaw in the system of accountability.
- The Power of Innocence Organizations: The tireless work of legal clinics and organizations like the Michigan Innocence Clinic was essential to uncovering the truth and ultimately securing Sanford’s freedom. They are a necessary counterweight to systemic inertia.
Davontae Sanford’s story is a chilling reminder that the judicial system, while designed to protect, can sometimes inflict the deepest wounds. His $7.5 million settlement is not just a monetary award; it is a declaration that the cost of a stolen life and a perverted justice system is incalculable, and that the fight for truth and redress must never cease.