Right inset: Lance Clowney II (Wayne County Sheriff’s Office). Left inset: Police and crime scene investigators at the Detroit home where three men were found dead in the basement (WXYZ/YouTube). Background: The 3100 block of South Edsel Street in Detroit, where the Detroit home that had the bodies inside is located (WJBK/YouTube).
Authorities in Detroit have tied three men, all aged over 60, who were found murdered in a basement, to a suspect in a hammer attack. This suspect, identified as Lance Clowney II, was apprehended with three cell phones following an assault near the crime scene, according to prosecutors.
Lance Clowney II, aged 27, is accused of an assault near the location where the bodies were discovered. Though his exact link to the men’s deaths is still unclear, prosecutors have mentioned this connection during Clowney’s arraignment, as reported by local Fox affiliate WJBK.
Court documents reveal that Clowney faces charges of assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. Charges related to the homicides have yet to be filed against him.
Clowney, who was denied bond, was deemed a community threat by prosecutors, resulting in a Detroit judge ordering him to remain in custody, as reported by WJBK.
Records indicate Clowney has a criminal history, including convictions for armed robbery, carjacking, possessing a firearm unlawfully, and evading police. Released from prison in January 2025 after serving a five to 15-year sentence for carjacking and armed robbery, Clowney also pleaded guilty to assault and battery in May, receiving a 40-day jail sentence with credit for time already served.
During the arraignment for the hammer attack, a prosecutor stated, “Due to the violent nature of these incidents, we believe the defendant is linked not only to this assault on the witness but also to the deaths of the three individuals found in the basement.”
Police say they were in the area where the assault happened investigating a missing person report when they were approached by a person who told them they had been attacked near the home where the bodies were. Prosecutors say the victim reported being attacked by a man with a hammer, who is believed to be Clowney. He was allegedly caught by cops with the hammer, a baseball bat, and three phones.
When officers entered the home where the assault allegedly happened, they found the bodies of Norman Hamlin, 66, Mark Barnett, 65, and William Barrett, 72, covered in “dirty clothes” and a carpet, according to an update provided by police officials last week.
“It does not appear that the bodies were brought there,” Detroit Police Cmdr. Rebecca McKay told reporters at a press conference after the discovery. “It appears that the assault happened inside of the home.”
McKay said authorities were in the 3100 block of South Edsel Street at about 12:50 p.m. on Feb. 18 probing the missing person report.
“Police went into that home and found the three individuals … in the basement deceased,” McKay explained.
Sources told local ABC affiliate WXYZ that the home where the bodies were found had blood everywhere. The men had been dead for about a day.
“[The victims] had apparently been brutally assaulted,” McKay said.
Neighbors told local media outlets they didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary leading up to the discovery.
“Didn’t hear a thing,” said block club president Thomas Barnes in an interview with WXYZ. “Tragic, especially when it’s right there under your nose, so to speak.”
Clowney is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for a probable cause hearing.
