Warren man sentenced for killing aunt, uncle who raised him with hatchet in middle of night

Joseph Borowiak convicted of two counts of first-degree murder

WARREN, Mich. – Sitting stone-faced in court Tuesday, a Warren man was sentenced for killing the two people who raised him.

During Tuesday's sentencing, the judge tried to puncture Joseph Borowiak's cold facade, but found minimal success. The 38-year-old was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder at his trial last month.

Borowiak attacked his aunt and uncle with a hatchet in the middle of the night while they were sleeping, according to officials.

The jury also noted Borowiak is mentally ill. Tuesday in court, the victims' daughter and granddaughter spoke.

"It would mean a lot to us to never have to see him again," the granddaughter said.

Borowiak showed little emotion as his relatives pleaded for a life sentence. Last year, he bludgeoned his aunt and uncle to death in their sleep.

"This horrific, tragic event that happened to our family is just very unbelievable to us," the daughter said. "Every day we wake up and have to face the reality over and over again.

Police said Steven Collins, 67, and Cynthia Collins, 66, had severe head trauma. They were found in separate rooms.

Acknowledging this is a tragedy for everyone, the defense maintained that Borowiak is mentally ill.

"The problem, obviously, is the jury do not feel that he's sufficiently mentally ill to find him not guilty by reason of insanity," Borowiak's lawyer said.

Borowiak was arrested after someone spotted him in Detroit hours after the victims' bodies were recovered.

"He does not belong in society," the daughter said. "He's done things in the past and he's a danger to society."

Borowiak's lawyers argued that prison is not the answer for someone with mental illness, but his family said he has prior convictions and knew what he was doing.

It took the jury 12 hours to convict Borowiak.

You can watch Priya Mann's full story in the video posted above.


About the Authors:

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.