A Metro Detroit man convicted of murder is getting a new trial after an appeals court found problems with the first trial.
The appeals court said a juror conducted an improper outside investigation during deliberations, so now, 35-year-old Darrell Ewing is in court trying to plead his case, which became a boisterous give and take with the judge on Friday (Dec. 1).
Local 4 has been following the case for more than a decade, and there are a lot of jailhouse lawyers who would like to give the judge in their case a piece of their mind. In this case, it’s Judge Kiefer Cox.
It’s a rare case when a convicted murderer represents himself in court. Yet Ewing, in his jailhouse greens, emphatically pleaded his case.
The 35-year-old had made nearly three dozen motions and still gave more supplemental requests for Cox to consider.
Cox gave a thumbs down to all the major motions like dismissing the case, deciding whether Detroit police detectives improperly suppressed evidence, and keeping out other evidence on Friday.
“The court is going to deny Mr. Ewing’s motion,” said Cox.
After a significant review of the records, Cox added that he found Ewing’s pleadings troublesome.
“Some lost credibility here in respect to Mr. Ewing’s arguments in that things he is specifically saying he didn’t have pre-trial in 2010 were used and argued about in and found in the transcript of the 2010 jury trial,” Cox said.
Ultimately, Ewing got his chance to respond to the judge’s rulings.
“This is just the beginning, but you made a ruling and said you are about justice, your honor, and it was plainly given to you, your honor, that she said she didn’t have it, she doesn’t even know the officers, so how do you turn around and make me out to be a liar,” said Ewing.
Ewing later boldly told the new judge he had no business even hearing this case.
“The thing is, and respectfully, I just learned that you just came out of the prosecutor’s office a couple of months ago and that you’re friends with Kym Worthy and that you’re friends with John Rachuli,” Ewing said. “How are you even on my case? That’s actual bias.”
Ewing says he intends to appeal the judge’s rulings on Friday. In the meantime, his new trial starts on March 25, 2024.
Ewing’s family and friends surrounded him in the courtroom after the case. The judge did not directly respond to Ewing’s emotional arguments.