The Berrien County Prosecutor’s office is seeking to vacate the murder conviction of 39-year-old Corey Quentin McCall. Corey McCall’s hearing in Berrien County court was scheduled for Friday. Three people, including a 12-year-old boy, were shot in
the head during a home invasion in Benton Harbor in 2005. McCall was not accused of being the shooter. But he was identified as someone who was armed and in the house. McCall told police that he was at a store. The attorney general’s office says its conviction integrity unit took a fresh look at McCall’s case. He is expected to be released from a state prison in Ionia.
The Berrien County Prosecutor’s office has released the following:
Berrien County Prosecutor Steve Pierangeli filed a motion to vacate the 2005 Murder Convictions of Corey Quentin McCall based upon newly discovered evidence. This motion was made in conjunction with McCall’s defense counsel Tracey Brame and the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. The motion was heard in front of Berrien County Trial Court Judge Angela Pasula and granted on June 25th, 2021.
Case Summary
McCall’s convictions stem from crimes that involved the murder of three individuals and the attempted murder of a fourth during the commission of a robbery on 3/26/2005, in the City of Benton Harbor. McCall was sentenced to Life without Parole for the convictions on 12/5/2005.
Co-defendant Andrew Miller Jr. was also convicted for the crimes and is currently serving a sentence of Life without Parole.
McCall was identified at trial by the surviving victim of the robbery. The victim indicated during testimony he saw the profile of one of the individuals involved in the robbery for approximately two to three seconds. The victim was not able to identify the clothing or hair style of the person. The victim later identified the person as McCall at trial. In addition, McCall had been with co-defendant Miller at some time during the day prior to the murder and was seen with Miller sometime after the murder.
In February of 2020, the Michigan Attorney General’s Conviction Integrity Unit received a letter with new information about the crimes and started an investigation. The information indicated McCall was not responsible for the murder. The letter went on to mention the involvement of three other individuals who were unknown at the time of the original investigation, Marlon Washington and his two unnamed friends. The new investigation included interviews with witnesses from the original investigation and new witnesses, a review of prior evidence, and the discovery of new evidence. In addition, the investigation included the review of prior investigations from police agencies outside of Berrien County.
Investigating Agents from the Conviction Integrity Unit spoke with co-defendant Andrew Miller Jr. about the events of 3/26/2005. Miller informed investigating agents he and three other individuals broke into a home at 255 Parker Street, Benton Harbor, MI in order to steal items. Miller further stated he intended to kill the occupants of the home during the robbery. Miller identified the three other individuals involved in the robbery as Kehinde Wofford, Kenyon Wofford, and a third subject later determined to be Marlon Washington. Both Woffords and Washington lived in the Detroit area. The Woffords, who were brothers, were known to Miller through a mutual friend. Miller did not know Marlon Washington. Marlon Washington was a cousin to the Woffords. Miller indicated the Woffords and Washington came to Benton Harbor that night to help commit the crimes. Miller gave details about the crimes, how they were carried out, and about the three individuals involved. These details were corroborated through further investigation by the Conviction Integrity Unit.
Miller stated it was he alone that fired the pistol that killed the three individuals and attempted to kill the fourth. Miller stated Corey McCall was not involved in the robbery or murders. McCall has maintained his innocence throughout. Further, evidence in the form of business records obtained from Wal-Mart corroborated McCall’s statements about his whereabouts the night of the murder.
The evidence concerning Kehinde Wofford, Kenyon Wofford, and Marlon Washington was not disclosed to or known by law enforcement during the investigation or trials of the crimes in 2005. The information only came to light in 2020. Kehinde Wofford has denied involvement in the crimes.
Kenyon Wofford and Marlon Washington are now deceased. Kehinde Wofford, currently forty-five years old, was convicted in the Wayne County Circuit Court for Second Degree Murder, Kidnapping, Assault with Intent to Murder, and Armed Robbery. He was sentenced to sixty to ninety years in prison for the Second Degree Murder and fifty to seventy-five years for the remaining charges. He is eligible for parole on 2/14/2069, at the age of ninety-three years old. Charges will not be brought against Kehinde Wofford for his involvement in these crimes. Factors considered in this determination included: the length of Wofford’s current incarceration – what amounts to a life sentence for unrelated crimes; Wofford’s relative culpability – Miller was both the instigator and shooter; and the practical problems of proceeding to trial more than 15 years after the commission of the crimes, including missing and/or uncooperative witnesses.
Benton Harbor Director of Public Safety Daniel McGinnis, the lead investigator during the 2005 investigation, is in agreement with the Conviction Integrity Unit’s conclusion and is in support of the motion to vacate the convictions.
Pierangeli stated, “It goes without saying that it is tragic Mr. McCall has served any time in prison for this crime. Prosecutors in Berrien County make every effort to prevent this from occurring. In this case, Mr. McCall was convicted when the perpetrators of the crime had information of his innocence and waited until recently to disclose it. I fully recognize, however, that setting aside the conviction cannot begin to adequately compensate Mr. McCall for what he has lost. Nothing can restore his lost youth or return to him the years he spent in prison.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
