Davontae Sanford's Confessions

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At the age of 14, Davontae Sanford was sentenced to 90 years in prison for killing four people in a Detroit home. In 2008, Vincent Smothers the real killer confessed to the crime, shot had already confessed a month prior. He served 9 years in prison for murders he did not commit, until his case was finally reinvestigated. He was exonerated through the re-examination of his confession which was presumed to be coerced. There appeared to be many discrepancies in Sanford’s confession and police statements. Before the teen confessed, he was questioned by a police investigator who contacted a former homicide detective that Sanford was related to. The former detective asked Sanford to be “truthful.” Police investigators drove him around through the …show more content…

The first typed confession stated that Sanford and three of his friends formulated a plan to rob the house. Apparently, they met at a restaurant and passed out guns, but on the drive to the house Sanford got out of the car, and ended up walking home. He was released that night. However, there were many inconsistencies in his confession such that the restaurant he spoke of had been closed for months, the caliber of the guns described were incorrect, and he also did not match descriptions given by witnesses who saw only two men running from the house. Even though he knew little of the crime, police investigators pushed him closer to the confessions they needed. The second confession was not recorded, and the only evidence was a final statement. The third interrogation was a lot closer to the confession the police needed and matched descriptors of what the witness saw, the vehicle, and an accomplice. Later, Sanford would recount where the bodies lay in the …show more content…

They may have used the Reid techniques since these are the practices most officers are trained in to question suspects and elicit confessions. The psychological strategies used by investigators, especially after long hours of interrogation can make anyone susceptible to a false confession. Police officers lie, ask lots of questions, and constantly put the suspect on defense. But most importantly, whether deliberately or unintentionally they let significant details slip out which renders it easier for a suspect to create a story that fits the real crime. Nonetheless, police shouldn’t use the same questioning tactics on minors that they use on adults for many reasons. First, minors lack brain and psychological maturity which makes them vulnerable and suggestible under intense and pressured interrogation. Second, they are often complaint to authority. This can be seen when Sanford listened to the former detective who told him to “be truthful,” and when he continued to change his confession to fit what the investigators needed. Lastly, minors should have legal representation or a competent adult present when they are being interrogated. This is because they have little notion of the consequences of confessing to murder and are uninformed of their

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