Court Opinion

ID: 9580145
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:02:17.396158+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:36:04.041673
License: Public Domain

Connor, J.
(dissenting). I would not find that these sentences violate the principle of proportionality.
I concur with the trial court that "given the nature of the crime, the fact that this was a police officer and given its location does allow the court to deviate from the guidelines.” The cold-blooded murder of a man who was killed because he was a law enforcement officer is such singularly aberrant behavior that the guidelines supply minimal guidance at best, and the trial court provided ample justification for the departure. While only one of the defendants actually shot Trooper Hutchins after learning that he was a police officer, each defendant was part of an organized gang of predatory robbers that preyed on the heart of downtown Detroit. It is the duty of a civilized society to provide protection for its citizens, and it is particularly important to vigorously defend those areas where the citizenry traditionally congregate to socialize and conduct its business. Law enforcement officials place their lives in jeopardy on a *293daily basis to provide protection for the rest of society. In order to minimize the risk to those who choose this dangerous profession, strict sentences are warranted for convicted felons who have intentionally disregarded the status of law enforcement officers, and the most severe sentences are justified for those who use fatal force against a police officer acting in the line of duty.
While there are some differences in the background of the three defendants, and some disparity in the nature of the offense each committed, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding the variations in personal history and their respective roles in the crime did not merit different sentences. It is not an abuse of discretion to find that even the least culpable of the officer’s murderers deserves the longest sentence the law allows. I would find the sentences to be proportional to the seriousness of the matter before the trial court.