Man gets life sentence after third trial for strangling deputy's sister

FLINT (AP) - A Flint man has been sentenced to the mandatory penalty of life in prison without parole for strangling the sister of a Genesee County sheriff's deputy.

A Genesee County Circuit Court Jury on March 5 found 30-year-old Lorenzo Relerford Jr. guilty of first-degree felony murder in the 2011 death of 47-year-old Jeanne Hank of Grand Blanc.

Releford stared at the floor Monday as Hank's sister Tori Hank praised the jury for convicting him. Judge Archie Hayman then issued the sentence.

In 2012, a jury convicted Relerford of first-degree murder. But the Michigan appeals court in 2013 court threw out the conviction, saying his rights were violated when the jury saw his leg shackles.

A second trial ended last year in a mistrial after jurors couldn't reach a verdict.

Published: Wed, Apr 01, 2015