Man accused in death of infant son seeks plea deal
A 20- year- old man charged with felony murder in the death of his infant son is asking for Macomb County prosecutors to deviate from its no-plea policy in this type of case.
Attorney Richard Taylor, representing defendant Laquan K. Williams, submitted the request for a plea deal that could result in lower charges than felony murder and first-degree child abuse. Felony murder carries an automatic penalty of life in prison without parole.
Williams’ 3-month- old son last April 10 was taken by ambulance from a Warren motel to Ascension Macomb
Hospital in Warren and transferred to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he died from blunt-force trauma, according to Warren police.
Williams was charged about two weeks later.
The child’s mother was on the motel property at the time of the alleged incident but was not in the room where the alleged abuse occurred, police said.
Under former prosecutor Eric Smith, the policy was for no plea deals in childdeath cases.
Taylor’s “deviation” request has not been decided upon by prosecutors, although Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Colleen Worden seemed to provide some hope for the defense at a hearing Wednesday in Macomb County Circuit Court.
“There wasn’t an outright denial” of the request by top administrators in the Prosecutor’s Office, Worden told Judge Edward Servitto. “I just don’t think they are ready to make a decision yet. … I am hopeful this case will be resolved, though.”
Worden and Taylor could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.
Worden said there likely will be a decision in January, which is when Prosectuor-elect Peter Lucido will begin serving. Lucido, currently a state senator, defeated former circuit Judge
Mary Chrzanowski in the November election.
A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.
Smith resigned from the post in March after he and three others were charged by the state related to the alleged theft of up to $600,000 from a county forfeiture account.
Jean Cloud, the former chief trial attorney, was subsequently named acting prosecutor to serve the remainder of this year.
Smith also is expected to plead guilty in January to a federal obstruction of justice charge, for which he could spend 15 to 21 in prison for asking three potential witnesses to lie for him related to his alleged theft of $75,000 in campaign funds.