Flint man found guilty in 2020 fatal shooting of woman, 9-month-old grandson

A Flint man was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for a shooting that killed a woman and her 9-month-old grandson in 2020, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said.

Deandre Montrell Arrington, 32, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the Dec. 26, 2020, fatal shooting of 45-year-old Belinda Hart and her 9-month-old grandson, Romelo Jones Jr., at a home on East Pulaski Avenue in Flint, prosecutors say.

Arrington was also convicted of the following:

• Two counts of discharge of a firearm from a vehicle causing death
• Two counts of discharge of a firearm in or at a building causing death
• One count of felon in possession of a firearm
• One count of carrying a concealed weapon
• One count of third-degree fleeing and eluding
• One count of resisting and obstructing a police officer
• Eight counts of felony firearm

The verdict followed a trial that began Oct. 7. Arrington is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2027. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.  

Details on the case

Flint police officers who responded to the scene found Hart dead inside the home from gunshot wounds. Romelo had also been shot and was pronounced dead at Hurley Medical Center, prosecutors say.

According to prosecutors, evidence showed that more than 100 shell casings were recovered from the street outside the home and that the shooting was retaliation for an earlier homicide.

Evidence showed that the shots were fired from a white SUV, which was spotted and pursued by a Michigan State Police trooper until it stopped on North Street, prosecutors say.

According to prosecutors, Arrington got out of the driver's side and ran and was arrested after a short foot chase, and a dog tracking the pursuit route located three firearms.

"Belinda Hart and her 9-month-old grandson were killed in retaliation for something someone else did. Their family has waited nearly six years for this day. No verdict can give them back what they lost, but we hope it brings them some measure of peace, and we will stand with them through sentencing," Leyton said.   

Assistant Prosecutors Michael Pifer and Zachary Serzo led the prosecution at trial.