Suspect acquitted in shooting of federal judge gets stiff sentence on related charges
A Detroit man acquitted on a charge of assault with intent to murder in the shooting of a federal judge has received a lengthy prison sentence for related crimes.
Judge Timothy Kenny sentenced Kevin Andre Smith Jr. on Wednesday for firearms offenses and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. He was charged in connection with the shooting of U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg outside his home.
The Detroit News reports that Smith was sentenced to 67 to 90 years in prison, while MLive.com says Smith was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Prosecutors had alleged Smith shot Berg in the leg in March 2015 after Berg refused to allow him and another man into his home.
Smith had testified that he didn’t shoot Berg, and if he had, he would have taken a plea agreement. Smith said a co-defendant who identified him as the shooter made the allegation to get a better plea deal in his own case.
At the sentencing hearing, Kenny said he believed Smith had participated in or coordinated more than a dozen other armed robberies. According to Kenny, Smith “led his band of criminals on a rampage through a west side neighborhood intent on spreading fear and evil.”
