Detroit mother calls out police, prosecutor's office after son's alleged killer walks free
(CBS DETROIT) - A Detroit mother says the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office failed to do their jobs, and now her son's alleged killer could be off the hook for his murder.
"He was such a good person. He would do anything for anybody," said Camille Johnson about her son Edgar McIntosh Jr.
It's exactly what her son was doing the day he was killed back in April.
Johnson says her son, who would've turned 30 last week, was shot to death after helping a woman who was in a fight with a man.
"I'm so grateful that I raised him right, but to lose him like this is heartbreaking," she said.
Johnson says what's even more heartbreaking is that a suspect was arrested in connection to the murder but was let go because she says police failed to do their jobs.
"Police had to let him go because they failed to do a lineup with witnesses. They had him in custody. They had three witnesses and they never did a lineup to identify him."
She also says the suspect had a weapon on him at the time of his arrest, but she says police never did any forensics to connect it to her son's murder.
"How did you expect to be able to convict someone when you didn't do your job and follow just the basic protocol."
In May, she watched her son's alleged killer walk out of the courtroom as a free man after the case was thrown out.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's office says it was due to a witness in the case recanting their statement, but Johnson says that was because he testified he was being threatened.
"One gentleman came to court and sat on the stand and told the judge and the prosecutor that I'm being threatened from Wayne County Jail. I'm getting phone calls from Wayne County Jail threatening me today. Not to come here today. Not to point him out. So the witness was afraid for his life because they felt the Detroit police was not protecting him."
The Wayne County Prosecutor's office tells CBS News Detroit that uncooperative witnesses are having an impact on the case.
A spokesperson says, "Police will continue to investigate the case in the event that new evidence and a cooperative witness or witnesses will come forward to allow the warrant request to be re-submitted."
Since the murder, Johnson says her son's alleged killer has been mocking the family on social media, and she's now worried that he could hurt someone's child.
Johnson says she won't stop trying to get justice for her son until the person responsible is held accountable.
"My son's life may have not mattered to them, but it matters to me. He had a family. He had a grandmother, a father, and ten sisters. We want justice. At the end of the day, I want justice for my son, and I won't stop until I get it," Johnson said.
The prosecutor's office also says they are waiting on forensics on a weapon that could be connected to Mcintosh's murder. A spokesperson says they are reviewing social media information related to the case as well.
A full statement from the Wayne County Prosecutor's office can be read below:
"This case was impacted by multiple witnesses that were uncooperative with the police. We must have witnesses in order to successfully prosecute a case. Unfortunately, we cannot proceed just because we think someone may be guilty of a crime. We have to be able to prove it in court beyond a reasonable doubt.
"The prosecutor had to get a witness detainer to have a male witness held in custody because he initially refused to comply with the subpoena in the case. During his testimony, he completely recanted the statement he originally gave to the police and the case was dismissed by Judge Kenneth King on May 9, 2023.
"The ballistics for the weapon have not come back from MSP at this time. The police and prosecutors have social media information related to the case. The police will continue to investigate the case in the event that new evidence and a cooperative witness or witnesses will come forward to allow the warrant request to be re-submitted."
