A distraught father took justice into his own hands at the sentencing hearing last week of his daughter's killers.
When Dwayne Smith stood up to make a victim impact statement against Jasmine Gordon, his child's mother, and her boyfriend Clifford Thomas, Smith decided to make a different statement. The grieving father launched an attack on Thomas, punching him in the head.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputies swept in to restrain Smith, who could be heard shouting at Thomas.
“It was pretty scary,” attorney John McWilliams, who was in the courtroom, told the Detroit Free Press.
"No charges were pursued against those involved as the judge declined to hold Dwayne Smith in contempt of court,” Paula Bridges, a spokeswoman with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, told the local publication in an email. “Clifford Thomas refused prosecution of Smith.”
Thomas and Gordon were convicted last month of killing 3-year-old Jamila Smith, who died of blunt force injuries in September 2014, according to Fox 6 Now.
Thomas will serve up to 15 years behind bars. Gordon, who was also convicted of first-degree child abuse, will serve up to 25 years.
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