Detroit man charged with triple LGBTQ killings

Sarah Rahal
The Detroit News
Devon Robinson, 19.

Detroit — A 18-year-old Detroit man was arraigned Friday in connection with the slayings of three members of the city's LGBTQ community, prosecutors said. 

Devon Robinson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and five counts of the use of a firearm in connection with a felony, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Robinson was arraigned in 36th District Court on Friday and is to remain in jail. 

Authorities said the incidents began on May 25, when Robinson allegedly fatally shot Alunte Davis, 21, Paris Cameron, 20, and Timothy Blancher, 20, all from Detroit. 

The victims were shot inside a home on Devonshire on the city's east side.

Prosecutors believe the victims were targeted for their sexual orientation. Davis and Blancher were gay men, and Cameron was a transgender woman.

Prosecutors also alleged Robinson shot and wounded two additional victims who survived their injuries.

The Detroit Police Department launched an investigation on May 25 and arrested Robinson on Wednesday. His probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on June 21 and his preliminary examination is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on June 28 in 36th District Court.

"The alleged actions of this defendant are disturbing on so many levels, but the fact that this happened during Pride Month adds salt into the wound," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a news release Thursday. "We must remain ever vigilant in our fight to eradicate hate in Wayne County and beyond."

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The case was assigned to Special Prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz of the Fair Michigan Foundation, a program that helps Michigan law enforcement officers and prosecutors in solving serious crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.

“This case illustrates the mortal danger faced by members of Detroit’s LGBTQ community, including transgender women of color," Fair Michigan President Alanna Maguire said in the release. "The LGBTQ community knows that the Fair Michigan Justice Project, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Detroit Police Department stand ready to aggressively prosecute these brutal crimes."