Four men receive life sentences for murder of Detroit-area business owner

Four men who were convicted of the murder of a Pontiac, Michigan, business owner were sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office.

Scott Aloysius Brown, 41, William Creasy, 35, Christopher Matacia, 35, and Deonte Prophett, 34, all from Cincinnati, were sentenced on Thursday, nearly two months after they were found guilty.

Prosecutors say Sam Simko, 66, of Commerce Township, was shot and killed on Jan. 13, 2025. Simko co-owned a marijuana business when the suspects attempted to rob the store, accoriding to prosecutors.

Investigators said video footage showed Creasy arriving at the business and entering the building alone. While Creasy was inside the business, a black Ford Expedition parked across the street pulled into the business parking lot. Investigators said Brown and Prophett exited the Expedition as Creasy was leaving, with Prophett holding a pistol. They said Prophett fired two rounds, killing Simko.

Simko's business partner later found his body.

A jury convicted Prophett on April 21 of murder, armed robbery, felony firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Brown, Creasy and Matacia were convicted two days later in a separate trial of murder and armed robbery.

Investigators believed Simko met one of the suspects at a cannabis festival in Ann Arbor, where the suspects reportedly concocted a plan to set up a fake business deal and steal what officials said was upwards of 50 pounds of marijuana. 

"For Sam Simko's loved ones, his murder is a permanent loss," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a statement. "Appropriately, his killers will spend the rest of their lives paying for the life they took from his family and friends."