HAZEL PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Redford man is now facing charges in the murders of his sister and 12-year-old nephew in Hazel Park earlier this week.
Watch Darren Cunningham's live report:
Ladamien Keith Hill, 43, was arraigned on first-degree murder charges at 43rd District Court on Friday afternoon. His attorney at the hearing said he would stand mute and asked that a not guilty verdict be entered on his behalf.
RAW VIDEO: Ladamien Keith Hill arraigned on murder charges
He was ordered held without bond. He is due back in court for a probable cause hearing in 43rd District Court on September 16. A preliminary exam is scheduled for a week after.
“This is a case of shocking and deplorable violence against a single mother and her son in their own home,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a statement. “Linda Hill and Kardi Jackson should still be with us. My heart goes out to their family as they grieve for their loss.”
After the arraignent, family members told news media this is uncharacteristic of the suspect.
Dwight Hill, the uncle of the suspect and victims said, "It was a shock. I can't express... we got the four why's, but we don't have the fifth why. Why!? And until we get that we can't have closure, right?"
Late Monday night, police found 41-year-old Linda Hill and her son, 12-year-old Kardi Jackson, dead inside a home on Berdeno Avenue, near I-75 and 9 Mile Road. They were called to the scene on reports of a unresponsive woman at 4:15 p.m. Both victims had knife wounds to the throat.
According to police, Linda's 64-year-old uncle, who lives in the home and was watching TV in the basement, called them after coming upstairs about 15-30 minutes after hearing loud noises and finding Linda.
The uncle told police he was not aware of anyone else being in the house, besides Linda and Kardi.
As part of their investigation at the scene, police say they obtained video of a red Lincoln arriving in the area before the murders, leaving the home during the time frame the murders were committed, and then leaving the area.
Watch our breaking news report after the arrest was made below, and our report from the morning after:
Tuesday night, police said an arrest had been made in the case.
According to the prosecutor's office, Linda was on the phone on September 1 and told the caller she had to go because her brother was at her house.
Following the murders, family members told police they were unable to locate Ladamien and inform him of his sister's death. The family then reported that, after police had cleared the home, Ladamien walked in uninvited, said "forgive me" before walking into Linda's bedroom and lying in her bed naked for between 5 and 15 minutes, and then leaving the house.
Officers say family members told police he was driving a red Lincoln.
Police then reinterviewed Linda's mother, who told them Ladamien was at a house on Whittemore St. in Pontiac. She also reportedly told them to "pick him up."
Officers also found his vehicle near the home, which is owned by a relative. Ladamien was taken into custody at 7:00 p.m. on September 2, when officers executed a search warrant at the home. He was taken to the police department, where he said he did not want to be interviewed by detectives.
According to police, during their Pontiac search, they found blood evidence in the car. They also found video evidence of the clothes Ladamien was wearing after the murders. That clothing was found in the home, and police say they found blood evidence from the crime scene on it.
We spoke to the family of the victims earlier this week about the tragedy.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report before the arrest was made below:
Linda's 21-year-old son, Damontez Hill, says his mother had a joy for life.
“All around good person. She wasn’t bothering nobody for real, always fun, main thing she wanted to do was to have fun," Hill said. "I don’t even know what would make a person do something like this. It’s messed up.”
WEB EXTRA: Damontez Hill talks about his mother and brother and their murders
Family members say the victim and her 12-year-old son were supposed to be at a Labor Day party; they were just waiting on someone to pick them up.
Watch a report from earlier in the day in the video player below:
The Hazel Park school district notified families of resources to aid students dealing with the death of a classmate, letting them know a 12-year-old and his mom were killed on the holiday.
"The family is in our thoughts, prayers, and support during this incredibly difficult time," the letter to district families read.
Family has shared the following GoFundMe link if you'd like to help them support funeral costs for Kardi Jackson and Linda Hill.
