Man Acquitted In Slayings Of 2 During 2014 Detroit Eviction
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A man charged in the fatal shootings of a Detroit homeowner and his adult daughter during a 2014 eviction has been acquitted during his second trial.
The Wayne County prosecutor's office says 23-year-old Alonzo Long Jr. was found not guilty this week.
He faced first-degree murder charges and his first trial ended in July with a hung jury last summer. A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with his lawyer.
In November 2014, 72-year-old Howard Franklin and 37-year-old Catherine Franklin were shot during a dispute over the removal of fixtures at a house, which Howard Franklin had acquired at a tax foreclosure sale.
Howard Franklin had allowed people to stay in the house, on Piedmont St. in Detroit, and the shooting occurred when he arrived with an eviction order.
The father and daughter were armed, as was Long, and it was called into question who fired the first shots. The pair had called police, but they didn't show up right away.
Long was described as a nephew of the home's occupant.
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