The criminal justice process is turning into a very long and rather bumpy journey for Lorenzo D. Relerford Jr., the 30-year-old Flint man accused of murdering Jeanne Hank, the sister of a Genesee County sheriff deputy.
On March 10, 2011, the strangled body of 47-year-old Hank was discovered by her father in her townhouse in Grand Blanc. He attempted to revive her using CPR, and called 911 to report his horrifying discovery. Police began investigations into her death that same morning.
Just hours later, police discovered Releford and a man named Dantoine Brown, driving around in Hank’s car. In their possession they had many items that were listed as missing from Hank’s home, including her TV, DVD player, laptop computer and an assortment of jewelry. They were apparently in the process of attempting to sell the items to local pawn shops.
Both men accused the other of being the murderer
Both men admitted to being in her home and taking items belonging to her, but initially both men accused the other of being the murderer. Brown finally accepted a plea bargain, in which he pled guilty to charges of armed robbery and manslaughter in return for his testimony against Relerford.
Releford then went to trial and, in March of 2012, was ultimately convicted by a jury of first-degree felony murder, armed robbery, and unlawfully driving away an automobile. He was sentenced to serve life in prison.
But during the trial, there was a moment when jurors were able to see his leg shackles. As a result of that unwitting moment of negligence on the part of Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell, the Michigan Court of Appeals chose to overturn Releford’s conviction on the grounds that his right to a fair trial had been violated.
A new trial was scheduled and jury selection began on October 29th. This trial took a considerable amount of time, and jury deliberations did not begin until December 2nd. But after five days of careful consideration and heated debate, the jury was unable to reach an agreement. Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman was forced to declared a mistrial.
The prosecution, hopeful that the next trial will result in conviction, has chosen to retry Releford a third time. The new trial is scheduled for March 10, 2015.