Police previously released images of two suspects in the kidnappings of two 14-day-old twin brothers in Livonia, Michigan. They also released images of a suspect vehicle. (Images: Michigan State Police)
A woman who allegedly befriended a mother in order to kidnap two newborn babies is now the only adult defendant facing trial, as two others took pleas and were recently sentenced.
Davion Demetrius Sherman Chandler, 20, was the first to wrap up his case with a sentencing on May 24, according to Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV. Curtis Lee Slay, 18, followed suit on Friday. Both must spend three to 15 years in prison with 280 days time served as part of plea deals they reportedly reached in May.
The remaining adult defendant, Shantell Re-Azia Jones, 23, is set for trial in November.
Prosecutors in Wayne County, Michigan, charged them last year with abducting two 14-day-old baby boys. They faced charges of kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, conspiracy, and larceny in a building, though Chandler and Clay pleaded down to a count of unlawful imprisonment.
They claim the young men helped Jones in her plot.
“It is alleged that Ms. Jones befriended the mother of the twins all the while intending to steal them from their mother,” prosecutors said.
Authorities said that the abduction happened the night of Aug. 20, 2023, at a hotel in the Detroit suburb of Livonia.
Jones and a 16-year-old girl were with the mother, who went out to the vending machine for a drink, authorities said. That’s when Jones and the girl allegedly took the babies. The mom called 911, sparking an Amber Alert, though authorities said the babies were given unharmed over to Detroit police the morning of Aug. 21.
Law&Crime reached out to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to learn the status of the criminal case against the teen defendant, who was charged as a juvenile.
More Law&Crime coverage: Woman pleads guilty to kidnapping twin infants, abandoning them in different states amid December weather
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