by Graham Sturgeon, co-editor
THE ALLEGED PERPETRATORS of the double homicide that took place in the Walmart employee parking lot in Caledonia Township on Friday, Jan. 27 appeared before the Honorable Ward L. Clarkson in the 66th District Courthouse in Corunna on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Shown from left are Otis Lee Smith Jr., Anthony Holloway, and Erin Mongar. The three defendants spent only minutes in front of Judge Clarkson, as the veteran of the bench ruled that both Holloway and Smith Jr. would be granted forensic responsibility examinations to determine if they are fit to stand trial. (Independent Photos/Graham Sturgeon)
Anthony Holloway, 23, Otis Lee Smith Jr., 31, and Erin Mongar, 34, appeared before the Honorable Ward L. Clarkson in the 66th District Court building in Corunna Tuesday, Feb. 14. The three Grand Rapids residents have each been charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of armed robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and one count of possessing a firearm while committing a felony. The charges are a result of their alleged roles in the double homicide of Flint residents Joseph Michael Carson, 31, and Anthony Lee Hammond, 39, who were shot in the parking lot of Walmart in Caledonia Township on Friday, Jan. 27. The Michigan State Police have reported that the defendants and victims arranged to meet at Walmart via Craigslist, with the intent of conducting a drug transaction.
Both Holloway and Smith Jr. requested and were granted motions for forensic responsibility examinations by Judge Clarkson on Tuesday. Holloway’s attorney, Doug Corwin, cited “anxiety, suicidal ideation, and hearing voices” as reasons for the request. Corwin also explainedthat Holloway had been discharged from a psychiatric inpatient facility shortly before the Jan. 27 incident.
Smith Jr. and his attorney, Gloria Santrucek, requested the exam due to his prior stay at a psychiatric inpatient facility. According to Santrucek, Smith Jr. was housed at a Grand Rapids-based “mental health facility” for four months “a couple years ago.”
Mongar appeared with her attorney, Christopher Johnson of Fowlerville, and agreed to waive her 21-day requirement for a preliminary hearing to allow for the completion of the psychiatric exams. She will continue to be housed in the Shiawassee County Jail, along with Smith Jr. and Holloway, and Judge Clarkson reiterated that the three defendants will not be granted bond. The date of the defendants’ preliminary exams will be determined following the completion of the psychiatric examinations.
