Inset: Ladamien Hill (Oakland County Jail). Background: The house where Hill”s sister and nephew were stabbed to death (Google Maps).
A Michigan man is behind bars after his sister and nephew were brutally stabbed to death in their own home earlier this week.
Ladamien Keith Hill, 43, stands accused of premeditated murder in the first degree, according to Oakland County Jail records.
The attack’s victims, Linda Hill, 41, and her son, Kardi Jackson, 12, were discovered deceased in a residence on Berdeno Avenue, located in Hazel Park, a small suburb near Detroit, on Monday evening.
Both victims suffered multiple slash wounds to their throats, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
“This represents shocking and deplorable violence against a single mother and her son within their own home,” expressed Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a statement shared with The Detroit News and local ABC affiliate WXYZ. “Linda Hill and Kardi Jackson deserved to be here with us. I extend my sympathies to their family as they mourn their loss.”
The tragic find was made by Linda Hill’s own uncle, who resides in the basement of the said home, per a press release from the Hazel Park Police Department. During the incident, the uncle contacted authorities about loud noises, assuming no one was at home apart from his niece and grandnephew as he watched TV, prosecutors reveal.
The suspect was linked to the crime scene by sightings of a red Lincoln nearby before the murders occurred, officials state. The vehicle subsequently departed the vicinity of the home around when it is suspected the killings took place, and later left the broader area.
Later that same night, Ladamien Hill allegedly appeared at the residence – driving a red Lincoln, family members told police.
But it was not just the car that aroused suspicions. At first – the family told police – they had trouble locating the man whose sister just died.
“Family later reported that after police had cleared the crime scene, Ladamien Hill entered Linda’s home without invitation, saying ‘forgive me,’ and then allegedly lay naked on Linda’s bed for 5-15 minutes before exiting,” according to the press release.
On Sept. 2, the accused man’s car and residence were searched by investigators from the local police and sheriff’s office.
Authorities allege they discovered blood in the car and on clothing at the suspect’s house, which reportedly contained suspected blood evidence pertinent to the crime scene, as per law enforcement.
Police additionally cited “video evidence” of clothing worn by the defendant “after the homicide,” the press release claims. The precise relationship between those purported articles of clothing and the evidence allegedly recovered in the case is not presently clear.
A motive is also, for now, elusive.
“At this time, we still do not know why this horrific crime occurred,” the police department said. “We can only hope that court proceedings to follow may shed some light on that question.”
On Friday afternoon, Ladamien Hill was arraigned on the charges against him, according to a courtroom report by WXYZ. During the proceedings, the accused stood without a word as his attorney entered a plea of not guilty.
The defendant is next slated to appear in court on Sept. 16, for a probable cause hearing.
