Man charged with murder after 2 people found dead in basement of Detroit home
Murder charges are pending in the case of two people who were found dead last March in the basement of a Detroit home.
Muhammad Mastakella Murphy, 35, who has no permanent address, is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon at 36th District Court, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said. He faces two counts of first-degree, premeditated murder, prosecutors said.
The investigation began on March 11, 2025, when a woman called the Detroit Police Department to report a dead body found in her home in the 87000 block of DeSoto Street. She had left the house for about an hour and when she returned, she found a man's body at the bottom of the basement steps.
Officers then discovered the body of a woman in the basement.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's office determined the cause of death for both victims to be blunt force trauma. The prosecutor's office said the victims were struck with a crowbar, and Pinkston was also struck with a hammer.
The deceased were later identified as Dwayne Pinkston, 60, and Barbara Jackson, 68, both of Detroit.
The suspect in this case was identified and arrested this week by the Ypsilanti Police Department and turned over to the Detroit Police Department.
The victims and Murphy knew each other, prosecutors said.
The above video originally aired on March 12, 2025.