Warren man sentenced after pleading no contest to shooting roommate, hiding body
A Warren man will spend decades in prison after pleading no contest to killing his roommate and then hiding the body.
On May 19, Donald Dawan Renfroe, 26, pleaded no contest to second-degree homicide, tampering with evidence, concealing the death of an individual and felony firearm.
Renfroe pleaded no contest to shooting his roommate, 27-year-old James Wilkins, in their Warren apartment on June 8, 2023. Macomb County prosecutors accuse Renfroe and an accomplice, Darius Glenn, of concealing the crime. Wilkins was later reported missing.
Authorities found Wilkins' body five months later after Glenn provided police with information. Detectives say they found evidence that a shooting had taken place inside Renfroe's apartment.
Renfroe was sentenced Monday to 31 to 60 years for the second-degree homicide charges, five to 10 years for tampering with evidence and two to five years for concealing the death of an individual. Prosecutors say all three sentences will be served concurrently.
The 26-year-old will also serve two years consecutively on the felony firearms charges. He received 711 days' credit for time served.
"This case is tragic on every level. A young man lost his life, and another young man threw his future away by choosing violence. While his age speaks to wasted potential, it does not excuse the brutality of his actions. Today's sentence holds him accountable and hopefully brings some measure of justice to the victim's grieving family," said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido in a statement.
