Judge predicts likely conviction of man charged in brutal rape of elderly Dearborn sisters

Dearborn — A 52-year-old Ecorse man was ordered Friday to stand trial in what prosecutors allege was a brutal rape, assault and torture of two elderly Dearborn sisters.

The first phrase Michael Holcomb allegedly uttered when he entered the Dearborn home of two sisters in March was "I'm going to f--- you all day and night and then I’m going to kill you," according to a Dearborn judge.

The younger of the sisters — who was 78 when prosecutors say Holcomb made good on his threat, spending hours beating and raping the two women — testified Friday in a courtroom closed to the public during a preliminary exam to determine if there was enough evidence for Holcomb to stand trial.

Her 85-year-old sister, who does not remember the attack, did not testify. But her sister's testimony about watching Holcomb beat and rape her was enough to convince Dearborn District Court Judge Mark Somers that there was enough evidence for the case to stand trial.

Somers said the evidence "far exceeded" the probable cause standard needed to send the case to circuit court to stand trial, and he added three felony charges that prosecutors had not initially requested: two counts of attempted murder and one count of unlawful imprisonment.

Holcomb also faces six counts of sexual assault, two counts of torture and two counts of assault with the intent to cause great bodily harm less than murder.

"I frankly don't see a jury that wouldn’t convict, absent a mistrial," Somers said. "It seems to be the only hope the defense would have. That’s the strength of the evidence."

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said after charges were filed in March that the attack was "one of the most heinous" sex crimes she's ever seen.

More:Ecorse man charged with sex assault of 13-year-old hours before he raped elderly women

Defense argument against the added charges

Holcomb's attorney, Seymour Schwartz, asked the court to not send the cases to trial because of a lack of evidence presented during the preliminary exam. For the unlawful imprisonment charged Somers added, Schwartz said he thought the judge "made some leaps that were not readily apparent to us in the testimony."

"I've heard you and I totally disagree," Somers said. "Completely disagree. The evidence was beyond clear and convincing."

He also objected to the added attempted murder charge, saying Holcomb "left before they were dead" and didn't kill anyone. But Somers said the woman's testimony about her belief that Holcomb was going to kill her after he "spent hours beating her and her helpless sister to a pulp" was enough for him to stand for trial on the attempted murder charge.

Victims sustained serious injuries

Though the 78-year-old's testimony was not done in a courtroom open to the public, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Grace Broughton and Somers provided enough information from her testimony to paint a clear picture of what she testified to.

"(Holcomb) had physical control of (the younger woman) and her sister from the moment he entered the home," Broughton said. "He threatened to kill them multiple times and he told them he was going to kill and rape them."

He allegedly physically and sexually assaulted both sisters, leaving them with serious injuries, Broughton said. The older sister had a skull fracture, two black eyes, a broken nose and bruising to her labia and anal tissues. The younger daughter had a broken nose, facial fractures and severe bruising to her face, hands and body, Broughton said.

Holcomb allegedly forced the younger sister into the basement, threatening her with violence so she would remain there, and he returned to the bedroom to continue sexually assaulting her older sister, Somers said. The younger sister attempted to divert Holcomb multiple times by "literally asking that she take the beating instead of her sister," Somers said.

When police arrived at the home, they reported a strong smell of feces and urine, Broughton said. Officers said they found the older woman with feces on and around her.

Dearborn Police Cpl. Lindsey Barnett said when she found the older sister on the ground in a bedroom, she appeared to be in a lot of pain and had “clear injury” to her face, including two black eyes and fresh and dried blood around her nose.

“She couldn’t recall what happened, she thought she had fell,” Barnett said. “(She) seemed to only recall what happened right before the assault.”

The younger sister had run to her neighbor’s home naked after the assault, Barnett said. She gave a good description of the man who assaulted her to police, Barnett said.

Wilson said the younger sister identified Holcomb as the man who sexually assaulted her in a photo lineup at the hospital.

Additional sex assault charges

Holcomb also is charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Allen Park hours before he sexually assaulted the two Dearborn women. He allegedly assaulted the 13-year-old at about 8 a.m. March 17 at a residence on Meyer Avenue in Allen Park.

Holcomb is charged with six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, six counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, unlawful imprisonment, assault with the intent to do great bodily harm by strangulation and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Holcomb waived his preliminary exam in this case and he was bound over to the Wayne County Circuit Court to stand trial.

According to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, Holcomb was convicted on one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in June 2010. 

kberg@detroitnews.com