Family wants answers as suspect in man's murder free on bond, goes on crime spree, killed by police

DETROIT (WJBK) - The main suspect in the brutal murder of a Detroit man who was found beaten and stuffed underneath an abandoned Detroit home will never see trial after he was killed in a shootout by police.

But the victim's family says the man should have never been on the streets to get into the shootout and commit a massive crime spree.

Larry Melton Sr. lost his son, Larry Melton Jr., then watched his suspected killer shoot, kidnap and carjack his way across Metro Detroit. He says that man, Larry's roommate Allan Farris, should have never been on the streets.

VICTIM'S SON ATTACKED

Back in March, Larry Melton Jr. was missing. His family checked his home on Bloom Street but he wasn't there. A few blocks away, they find his car on the city's east side, but not Larry.

Larry's son, Isaiah, and his friend were searching for his father when Farris tried running them down.

"As soon as we swing around the corner - he comes and hits the car. He backs up and my brother jumps out and he ran at my brother with the car. My brother jumps out in the nick of time," Isaiah Melton said.

Farris was arrested for assault with a dangerous weapon and malicious destruction of property. 

VICTIM FOUND BEATEN TO DEATH UNDER PORCH

A few weeks later, Melton's body was found. He was beaten and stuffed under the porch of a burned out and abandoned home on Detroit's east side. 

"He was beaten. Severely beaten. Really, no human being, animal, or anyone should (be treated) the way they (treated) my son," Larry Sr. says.

Beaten body stuffed under porch identified as missing man

The main suspect in Melton's murder is Farris but the family was confident he would face that murder charge since he was still in jail for the felonious assault. The family says police and prosecutors assured them that there's no way Farris will be released on bond from the previous case. 

"They said he wasn't supposed to get out because it was a repeat offense," Isaiah said.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office told FOX 2 they never promised the Melton family that Farris would stay locked up. The office did say that Farris should have remained in jail, given his criminal history and the fact that they asked for a high bond.

But courts records show on April 2nd, Farris - a habitual offender, convicted offender with a history of armed robbery and other offenses - is released on a $2,500 bond. It's the same day that murder charges were about to filed.

SUSPECT'S CRIME SPREE

He would go on a crime spree that threatened numerous lives.

One woman was shot in Canton, another carjacked and kidnapped in Northville Township, an attempted carjacking of an undercover officer, a shootout with police - and Farris is dead. 

Suspect found dead, ending overnight manhunt that stretched from Canton to east Detroit

The Meltons will never see him go to trial for Larry's murder.

"The biggest flaw I see is letting him go. The biggest flaw I see in the system is - how did this guy get out?" His father wonders.

MORE QUESTIONS

Magistrate Judge Laura Echartea did not return calls asking why Farris's bond was set so low when he was an habitual offender charged with assault and prosecutors asked for a high bond. 

As for Detroit police they say it took time to develop their murder case against Farris and by the time they were able to notify prosecutors, he had already bonded out. April 2nd, the day they notified prosecutors, was the same day he was supposed to appear in court for another hearing.

Police are still waiting for crime lab results to come back to determine if someone else was involved - which could still take several weeks.