Family: Man’s murder is loss to them, the homeless
Man to serve 27 to 42 years for murder, weapons charges
“Juwan was a person that will come into your life once in a lifetime. He was always the first to want to help people. He was always the person that liked to get the family together, no matter what.”
— Yvonne Weaver, Juwan McCreary’s mother
In court Wednesday, a grieving mother recalled the generosity of her son, who was known for going out of his way to help the homeless before being shot and killed by a friend in Eastpointe.
Yvonne Weaver, the mother of the late Juwan McCreary, 26, spoke at the sentencing of Gregory Strickland, who was ordered to serve 25 to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
“My son loved to feed the homeless,” Weaver said in court. “He would get a lot of people together and gather up food from Popeye’s or wherever, Pizza Hut, and go out and feed the homeless. That was his thing he loved to do. When the homeless would see him, he didn’t have to have anything in his hand. They were so happy just to see him, say, ‘Hey, Juwan, how ya doing?’
“Juwan was a person that will come into your life once in a lifetime. He was always the first to want to help people. He was always the person that liked to get the family together, no matter what.”
Strickland, 29, of Detroit, also was sentenced by Macomb County Circuit Judge James Biernat Jr. to an additional two years for possessing a firearm during the 2021 incident in Eastpointe.
Strickland was initially charged with first-degree murder but reached a plea and sentencing deal with Macomb prosecutors.
The incident that started as an argument between them inside a home on Firwood Avenue, near Nile
Mile and Hayes roads, continued inside a parked vehicle outside the home and concluded outside of it at about 1 a.m. Nov. 20, 2021, when shoving escalated to shots fired. Strickland shot McCreary six times, including four times in the back, according to Eastpointe police.
Strickland dragged McCreary
back to the car and placed him in the back seat, police said. He drove away but a short time later called Detroit police from his home to report his friend was shot in a case of self defense. He provided officers with the location of the vehicle a few blocks away from St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit,
where McCreary’s body was found, police said.
At his sentencing, Strickland wore a mask and didn’t speak. Defense attorney Raymond Burkett, spoke on his behalf, saying his client wanted to apologize to McCreary’s family and would try to “redeem himself” in prison.
Burkett said Strickland’s family is also grieving his loss as he heads to prison.
“Two families have been really torn apart,” Burkett said.
Biernat told Strickland: “You’re a dangerous person to be friends with, apparently. Why you would do something so senseless makes no sense to me.”
Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Richard Nelson noted the McCreary family’s grief.
“There’s still lots of sorrow, lot of anger, lots of questions. I don’t know that the questions will ever get answered to their satisfaction,” he said.
Also speaking was McCreary’s sister, Diamond Weaver, who said she tried to call her brother the night of the incident, which was her birthday, because, “My spirit told me something wasn’t right. I called my brother. The third time he didn’t answer, I knew he was dead.”
She said she drove around and found his abandoned vehicle.
McCreary’s mother, Yvonne, who wept as she spoke to Biernat, added the loss of McCreary, who is survived by children, has been devastating.
“We have went through so, so much and we’re still gong through it,” she said. “Juwan meant so much to us. It’s tearing me apart. I pray everyday to strive to make it through the day because my son is gone. Nobody knows the pain you feel when you have to have a smile on your face in front of your kids and grandkids, when your heart is broken in two.”
She said while she looked forward to Strickland’s sentencing, it will not ease the pain no matter how much time he must serve. She noted will still be able “to see his kids, still gets to talk” to them.
McCreary is also survived by a brother, whose statement was read in court by victim advocate Heather Mormon.
Strickland received over two years of credit off of his sentences for time served in jail.