Prosecutors have charged three teenagers with killing an Oakland deputy

After a four-month investigation and widespread concern in Oakland County that the killers would never be brought to justice, Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy announced Wednesday that her office has charged three teenagers in the slaying of Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Rackling.

The three are not only responsible for Reckling’s June 22 death, as he pursued them in Detroit after the trio allegedly stole a car from Red Oaks Water Park in Oakland County; they are also linked to a violent car theft ring, Varty said.

“Deputy Racking, who thought he was simply returning a stolen car, was actually involved in what turned out to be a violent and far-reaching carjacking crime,” Worthy said.

As Detroit, Oakland County, Troy and Michigan State Police investigated Reckling’s death, they found “an alleged ongoing criminal activity, including at least four carjackings, four additional stolen vehicles and eight incidents of weapons in vehicles, all spanning Wayne, Oakland counties and Maycomb,” Worthy said.

The criminal activity spanned at least eight months, through June 2024, “and culminated in the murder of Deputy Sheriff Reckling,” Worthy said during a news conference at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center in Detroit. She was surrounded by the Oakland County Sheriff on one side, the Oakland County District Attorney on the other, and a dozen key detectives and assistant prosecutors involved in the case.

Three 18-year-old men, Raymond Reilly Debose of Clinton Township, Marquis Lamar Goins of Detroit, and Kareem Blake Moore, also of Clinton Township, were charged later Wednesday.

Debose, who police believe shot Reckling, was charged with murder of a police officer, which carries a sentence of life in prison without parole (or a minimum sentence of 25 years); and carjacking, punishable by up to life in prison. All three were charged with criminal activity, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; as well as receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle, which is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment; multiple counts of carrying a concealed weapon, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, and multiple counts of possession of a firearm, each of which carries a mandatory sentence of two consecutive years.

Acting undercover, Reckling was killed after he chased a stolen SUV from Oakland County to Detroit, according to previous reports by the Free Press. When the SUV came to a sudden stop near Park Grove and Schoenherr on the city’s northeast side — south of 7-Mile Road and west of Gratiot Avenue — Rackling pulled up behind it, the defendants exited the vehicle, and Debose shot Rackling with gun, according to the data. to the charges. The three then fled on foot, police said in earlier reports.

At a news conference Wednesday, Detroit Police Chief James White thanked his department’s detectives, as well as the state police, for solving a “very, very difficult case.”

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White went on to express “our deepest condolences” to the Reckling family and members of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, saying, “We hope the healing process begins today.”

Moments later, Sheriff Mike Bouchard, standing next to White, declared, “People are talking about healing. There can be no healing. What you do is process it. Our country can start moving forward now, knowing that the people who did this are being held accountable.” Bouchard said Reckling’s widow and other family members were “concerned” during the lengthy investigation, knowing those responsible for his murder were at large.

After thanking Oakland County investigators for their help, Worthy turned to Oakland County District Attorney Karen McDonald and said, “This is a gem, right here.”

MacDonald said her entire staff was “standing in line” after hearing about Reckling’s death, “all wanting to do something.” She said the case should send a message that “law enforcement must be protected and raised.” As for the three defendants, MacDonald said: “These men will be severely dealt with and punished to the full extent of the law.”

Acknowledging the shock of Reckling’s death to Oakland County residents and the importance of the long-awaited charges, County Executive Dave Coulter said in a statement: “While the homicide charges announced today do not ease the pain of the family, friends and colleagues of Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Reckling, they do begin a journey to justice for his tragic death.”

Contact Bill Leitner: [email protected].

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Oakland County cops waited 4 months to be charged in the murder of a colleague