A 17-year-old teen serving 38 years in prison for murder is trying to retract his guilty plea and asking a convicted hitman for help.
Davontae Sanford of Detroit, Michigan confessed to police that he killed four people during a 2007 botched robbery attempt at a drug house.
Now however the special needs teen is taking back his confession and says his written statement was a lie.
An attorney for Sanford is seeking help for his client through Vincent Smothers, an admitted hit man that confessed to at least 8 murders.
In addition to the 8 murders, Smothers took responsibility for the drug house murders and told authorities that they “got the wrong guy.”
In an April 2008 interview with police, Smothers spoke on the murders and when asked if he “hit” somebody in the house he responded,
"Three guys, and I believe there was a female in the house with them. I'm sure the three guys are dead."
Vincent Smothers
He also told police that he and his friend “Nemo” stole $2,000 from the home, a .40 caliber handgun used to kill a police officer's wife three months later and a half pound of marijuana.
By contrast the teen who was 14 at the time, confessed to the slayings in 2007 saying that he tried to rob a known drug dealer named “Milk Dud” and ended up “shooting the Mini 14 through the front window” according to a confession he signed off on written for him by police.
Lawyers for Sanford didn't hear about the hitman's confession until January of 2009, nearly eight months after the teen had been jailed.
Prosecutors stand behind their case against the teen and plan to summon at least 13 witnesses when they defend the conviction on July 13.
The boy's mother Taminko Saford is urging prosecutors to use “common sense” in the case against her son who's blind in his right eye after being struck with an egg as a child.
According to the mom, the boy lied because talking to police “made him feel important.”
"Davontae couldn't even read that confession. He took a special-ed bus to school. He doesn't write us from prison because he doesn't know how to write."http://t.co/uNY4XOC
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