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On Friday, August 12, Avion Sanders was arraigned on charges of killing 18-year-old Jacob Hills from Grand Blanc, who was found shot to death in the garage of a Detroit apartment complex on July 25.
Sanders was taken into custody on Tuesday, August 9, and has been charged with first-degree murder in addition to other larceny, felony murder, felon in possession, and three felony firearm violations.
According to Wayne County District Court documents, Sanders remained silent while the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Jacob Hills allegedly attended a party with Avion Sanders
Jacob Hills' body was discovered in the basement of an apartment complex in the 22330 block of West Warren Avenue in Detroit. He had been shot multiple times.
Prosecutors claimed that Jacob Hills and Avion Sanders met at a party where Hills had arrived with a brand new AR-15 that he had just purchased. After leaving the party, the two drove to the aforementioned Warren Avenue apartment. While they entered the basement together, Sanders reportedly came out alone after a while and left the premises.
Jacob Hills' mother informed the press that she was able to locate Hills' phone through the Life360 app. When Hills' parents didn't hear from him for several hours, they called the police. On July 24, authorities discovered the phone inside Jacob's unlocked car in the parking lot of a hookah lounge in Dearborn Heights on North Telegraph Road.
They arrived at the West Warren Avenue address at 1:11 am on July 25, where they found Hills in the basement with numerous gunshot wounds. He was declared dead on the spot.
Avion Sanders is suspected of killing Hills, taking his rifle and leaving his car at the hookah lounge.
Hills had purchased an AR-15 rifle from Oxford's ACME Shooting Goods sometime before the party. Media reports quoted Hills' mother as saying that he bought the firearm in order to prepare for boot camp with the Army National Guard.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy spoke to the media and said:
“We try to never rush to judgment on cases because the facts are sometimes not as they initially appear or as reported. After thoroughly reviewing the DPD investigation and the timeline of events, we believe that we can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt in court.”
According to Wayne County Circuit Court records, Sanders has a history of violence.
Records reveal that Sanders was previously charged by the police for a string of offenses. In October 2020, he was accused of opening fire on his fiancée in and barricading himself inside an apartment building with their small daughter.
If proven guilty of Jacob Hills' murder, he will face a sentence of life in jail without the chance of release.
