Brothers sentenced in shooting death of Detroit 2-year-old over spilled Kool-Aid
DETROIT (WJBK) - Two of the three suspects in the shooting death of a 2-year-old last spring were sentenced on Thursday. Despite the sentencing, it's clear that the the victim's family will never be the same.
Two-year-old Makanzee Oldham was sitting in the car with her father outside of a house in the 16400 block of Fairmount Drive last May. That's when her dad and another man got into a fight just after 8 p.m. The other man walked away and came back with a gun and started shooting.
That other man was Cleveland Smelley. He admitted to pulling the trigger and was sentenced to 35 to 65 years in prison after reaching a plea deal. His brother, Antoine, admitted to handing his brother the gun and was sentenced to 10 to 22 years in prison.
"I could never get over this. My life is not the same. I wake up every day and feel like I'm forced to live without my baby," her mother Makeisha Crosby said, "They took my baby from me. How could a human being just sit there and smile like that? That hurts."
Trio charged for murder of Makanzee Oldham in prelim hearing
The fight was started after Antoine poured Kool-Aid over the head of a young girl getting ready for prom. Then he started shooting at a car full of people that included the little. She was hit in the head and died a few days later.
"We have to go to the cemetery every day to visit our child. It hurts so bad," Crosby said.
Cleveland Smelley apologized in court and said he didn't mean to kill Makanzee.
"There's nothing nobody can say to bring our daughter back," Crosby said.
As for Antoine's sentence, Crosby said that his sentence is far too short.
"Ten years from now, he gets to see his daughter. He has hope. I wish he had life. He gets to his daughter and we don't get to see our baby at all," she said.
A third defendant, Deonta Bennett, was previously sentenced to 10 to 32 years for second degree murder.
All three will have to pay restitution to cover the costs of Makanzee's funeral.