A Detroit man is facing life in prison on a multitude of charges in the 2021 ambush murder of a Kentucky man, who had traveled to Detroit to buy a trailer advertised on Facebook Marketplace.
Davontae Eshawn Long, 31, of Detroit, was convicted Friday for a 2021 murder of Cody Loftus, 28, of Louisville, Kentucky. WHAS11 reported in 2021 that the murder happened in a residential area in Detroit.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Long with six felonies, including murder, carjacking and multiple firearm offenses. The case was investigated by the Detroit Police Department and the Violent Crimes Task Force, Department of Attorney General conducted the prosecution at trial, and on Friday, a Wayne Circuit Court jury convicted Long on all counts.
According to news release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, on Dec. 9, 2021, the victim, 28, of Louisville, Kentucky, drove from his home to Detroit to purchase a pull-behind vehicle trailer from Long, who had organized the sale. When the victim arrived, Long pulled him from his vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, and fatally shot him in the back before taking the Cadillac and the rest of the victim's possessions, including a .45 caliber handgun.
WHAS11 reported that Loftus was no stranger to e-commerce sales, and he frequently went out of town to purchase vehicles that needed refurbishing.
“Both buyers and sellers should exercise extreme caution when arranging private online marketplace sales, especially when traveling long distances to places they are unfamiliar with,” Nessel said in a release. “This was a tragic and brutal ambush, and I am grateful for the jury’s service in handing down these significant verdicts.”
More: Michigan police conducting speed enforcement campaign through July (freep.com)
Long was convicted of the following felony offenses:
- One count of Felony Murder, an offense carrying a mandatory sentence of life without parole;
- One count of Carjacking, a potential life-sentence felony;
- One count of Felon in Possession of a Handgun, a felony punishable by up to 5 years’ incarceration; and
- Three counts of Felony Firearm, a mandatory 2-year incarceration sentence.
Long will appear for sentencing at 9 a.m. on July 18 before Wayne Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway.
Several police departments and sheriff's offices in Michigan have set aside "safe trade zones" in their lobbies or parking lots to prevent e-commerce crime. If your local police station doesn't have a safe trade zone, it's otherwise recommended to meet in well-populated areas during well-lit hours of the day when completing an e-commerce transaction.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit man convicted for murder in 2021 Facebook Marketplace ambush
Most Popular
Comments / 0