Charges for Detroit double murder suspect dismissed because witness failed to appear in court

Charges dismissed in double murder case

Thirty-five-year-old Muhammad Murphy had been charged in January with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the March 2025 deaths of 60-year-old Dwayne Pinkston and 68-year-old Barbara Jackson.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The man accused of the brutal murder of two people in Detroit may not be back in court anytime soon after his case was dismissed.

A judge threw out the case because a key witness failed to appear in court. The family of one of the victims said they are devastated by the decision.

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Thirty-five-year-old Muhammad Murphy had been charged in January with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the March 2025 deaths of 60-year-old Dwayne Pinkston and 68-year-old Barbara Jackson.

Investigators said the victims’ bodies were found in the basement of a home on DeSoto Street and that both died from blunt force trauma. Jackson was found inside a plastic container filled with an unknown liquid.

Police said Murphy knew the victims, though it is unclear what connection, if any, they had to the home where their bodies were discovered.

Pinkston’s family was in court Tuesday. Speaking by phone, a family member said it was difficult to hear that the case had been dismissed.

"It was shocking because they just threw it out," Pinkston said. "It hit hard. They said he can re-file. I talked to the prosecutor afterwards. He said they can bring it back up, but they don’t feel real comfortable."

Prosecutors say they have the option to re-file the charges.