FLINT – Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said a jury returned a guilty verdict
against two Flint men related to a 2011 home invasion and homicide in the city of Flint.
Kendall Deshondre Thornton, 32, and Terrill Dionte Chaney, also 32, were convicted of
felony murder, armed robbery,and home invasion 1st degree related to the April 4,
2011 shooting death of Tamara Bates, who was 35 at the time of her passing. Thornton
was also convicted of three related counts of felony firearm.
Police were dispatched to reports of a shooting just before 11:30pm at a home on
Ballenger Highway between West Court Street and Corunna Road. When they arrived,
they found Bates suffering from a gunshot wound.
The case was investigated by the City of Flint Police but the investigation stalled until
2016 when a Flint Police cold case detective reexamined everything including
conducting forensic testing of preserved evidence and tracking down and interviewing
and reinterviewing witnesses. The renewed efforts led to police identifying Thornton and
Chaney as suspects and ultimately Prosecutor Leyton’s office filing charges.
“The wheels of justice can sometimes turn slowly but we never give up on pursuing
justice for victims, their families and our community,” Leyton said. “I want to commend the Flint Police Department and especially Sergeant Brian Murphee for their resolute commitment to bringing this case to justice and to my staff and Assistant Prosecutor Sam Fleet, who tried the case for their hard work and dedication to seeing this case through to a just and successful resolution in a court of law.
“While it has been more than a decade since this tragic incident occurred, let us not
forget Tamara Bates, who lost her life on April 4, 2011,” continued Leyton. “From all accounts, Tamara was a
loving mother, daughter, sister and aunt and cherished by many for her caring and
loving ways and ability to make people laugh. Often working more than two jobs at
once, Tamara dedicated herself to helping others working at Helping Hands Nursing
Service and Greenly Square Manor. She was studying to become a certified nursing assistant when her life was cut short in the most violent manner.
said.
“It is for people like Tamara and her surviving family and friends and our community that
we fight for justice every day.”
“I also want to commend the jury for their dedicated work in sitting through days of
testimony and listening to witnesses and experts and, in the end, applying the law to the
evidence presented and coming to this just verdict.”
Thornton and Chaney will face a mandatory sentence of life without parole when they
are sentenced.
