Murder case against felon advanced to circuit court

The case against a Pontiac felon accused in a fatal stabbing last year has been bound over to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.

At the conclusion of a preliminary exam March 1, Judge Cynthia Walker of 50th District Court ruled there was probable cause to advance the case against Maurice Rushton, 62, to the higher court.

Rushton is charged with open murder for the death of Larry James Lewis-Lefler, 36, of Waterford Township. Lewis-Lefler was stabbed once in the chest on Sept. 22, 2022 and died the next day, about six hours after the incident, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Rushton was arrested at his residence in the 100 block of Monroe Street approximately 30 minutes after the stabbing, which happened on West Huron Street in Pontiac, near Webster Elementary School. According to the sheriff’s office, Rushton and Lewis-Lefler were seen arguing shortly before Rushton allegedly drew a knife and stabbed LewisLefler.

Rushton’s criminal history includes convictions in Wayne and Macomb counties for larceny from a person, assault with a dangerous weapon and, most recently, human trafficking with injuries in Oakland County. He was discharged from prison in January 2022 after serving approximately four years of a sentence of 31 months to 10 years for the human trafficking conviction. Prior to that, he spent approximately five years in prison for other crimes for which he was sentenced 3-15 years.

Arraignment for Rushton is scheduled for March 14 in Oakland County Circuit Court before Judge Victoria Valentine. He’s held in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond.