Ecorse man arraigned, accused of 'heinous' sexual assault, torture of 2 elderly Dearborn women
Dearborn — An Ecorse man was arraigned Wednesday on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and torture for allegedly sexually assaulting two elderly women in their Dearborn home in a case Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy described as "one of the most heinous" sex crimes she's ever seen.
Michael Shawn Holcomb, 52, was arraigned in 19th District Court in Dearborn on five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of torture, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
"This is one of the most heinous that I've seen," Worthy told reporters Wednesday. "And egregious. And deplorable. It's really difficult to know what even to say about a case like this."
Officers were dispatched to a home on Carlysle Court in Dearborn around 1:30 p.m. Sunday for a reported home invasion and sexual assault incident. Holcomb, a registered sex offender, allegedly entered the home of the two elderly women and proceeded to sexually and physically assault them before fleeing the scene, the prosecutor's office said.
Dearborn police conducted an investigation Sunday and arrested Holcomb at a nearby motel, prosecutors said.
The victims, ages 78 and 85, are sisters, said Worthy, who added that one of the victims was not mobile.
"The level of brutality in this case is really unimaginable," Worthy said at a press conference in Dearborn. "And for someone who's seen what we've seen collectively, that's saying a lot. Our victims were brutally beaten. Our victims were brutally assaulted. Our victims were brutally raped. And our victims were brutally tortured."
Police arrived to find both women in the home with multiple injuries. Medics later transported them to a local hospital, according to the news release.
Both women remain hospitalized but are in stable condition, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said.
"Sadly, this is a very tragic and alarming incident within our community, especially due to the nature of the crime, the victims and the circumstances involved," Shahin said. "It's terrible. It's disgusting. And I pray that he never breathes the same air that I do."
The assaults appear to be random, Shahin said.
Worthy also charged Holcomb with two counts of torture, a rarer charge for the prosecution to bring, she said.
According to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, Holcomb was convicted on one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in June 2010.
Holcomb is being held at the Wayne County Jail. His probable cause hearing is set for April 1 in 19th District Court before Judge Mark Somers, the prosecutor's office said.