2 Guilty In 2012 Murders Of Westland Teens In Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - Two men charged in the 2012 murders of two Westland teenagers have been found guilty on all counts.
Felando Hunter, 24, and Frederick Young, 25, were charged with murder, torture and robbery in the execution-style killings of 18-year-old Jacob Kudla and 17-year-old Jourdan Bobbish whose bodies were found in an open field in Detroit in July of 2012.
Reporting from the courthouse, WWJ's Marie Osborne said both defendants remained expressionless as the verdict was read Thursday.
Prosecutors said the teens, who had been missing for five days after trying to buy drugs in the city, were robbed, put in the trunk of a car and driven around for an hour before they were forced to kneel and were shot in the back of the head.
Speaking to reporters after court was adjourned, Vergee Kudla, Jacob's mother, said she feels victimized.
"The criminals were given bathroom breaks, the criminals were given the opportunity to testify, the criminals were given the opportunity to do what they needed to do," she said. "As Carrie (Bobbish) and I sat in the rows, looking at pictures of our dead children."
"This is never going to bring my baby back to me, but maybe now he can rest in peace — him and Jourdan both can rest in peace; and these evil men are off the streets," Vergee Kudla said.
She was in tears as she thanked prosecutors.
Also wiping away tears, Jourdan's father, Mike Bobbish, said he was worried throughout the entire trial. "You just never know what a jury's gonna decide, and we're at the mercy of them," he said, "and hopefully they see the same thing and feel the same way we do."
Young and Hunter will be sentenced on Jan. 21.