Michigan Police Chief Lied About Crucial Drawing in Davontae Sanford Trial

Davontae Sanford, now 23, has just been release from jail after spending the last 9 years in prison for crimes he did not commit.

In this June 30, 2010 photo, Davontae Sanford sits in court as attorneys present their findings in Detroit. Sanford was just 14 when he told police he killed four people in a drug den. He was sentenced to at least 38 years in prison for the 2007 slayings, which police say were planned as a robbery but now insists his confession was a lie. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

A former Michigan State police chief fabricated a crucial piece of evidence during the 2007 murder trial of then-14-year-old, Davonte Sanford.

Sanford, now 23, was released on June 8 after spending the last 9 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. Sanford had been sentenced to at least 38 years in prison for the 2007 slayings of four people.

The fabricated evidence was a drawing of the crime scene, in which Michigan State Deputy Police Chief James Tolbert, in 2010, lied under oath and said Sanford had drawn the picture, indicating he had full knowledge of the scene.

“Mr. Sanford being able to draw the sketch would demonstrate that all of the information came from Mr. Sanford’s recollection of his participation in the crime,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a powerpoint presentation she showed at a press conference. 

A sergeant from the department also testified that the initial sketch was written and signed by Sanford.

Wayne County Prosecutor's Office