“I just came into my friend's house and I found him dead.” “What do you think would have done this?” “Probably someone who wanted him or his money or something.”

“Look at you. Is that why you don't want to talk to us? Because you're the one who did the shooting?” “What I'm asking you to explain to me is why you were in a dead man's apartment. That's what I'm asking for you to explain to me.”

On December 13th, 2018, a group of friends pulled up to the home of an infamous dice player in Lansing, Michigan. Before the night was over, that visit would turn fatal. When investigators finally sat the suspects down, every single one of them denied any involvement, but one of them wouldn't stay quiet for long. At 10:30 a.m. on December 14th, a man approached his apartment and found the front door standing open. What he discovered inside stopped him cold.

“I just came into my friend's house and I found him dead.” “Do you think that he's beyond help? Is he” “He's not breathing. He's not moving. It looks like he's been like this for a while.”

“What makes you think that he's been there for a while?” “He's hard.” “Okay. How old is he?” “28, I think.”



“28? Does he have any medical issues?” “No, he was shot. Somebody shot him.”

His name was Donovan Barfield, Lou to everyone who knew him. He was found concealed beneath a mattress in his Bayview Gardens apartment in Lansing, the victim of a targeted, deliberate killing. He had sustained multiple fatal gunshot injuries. Deputies were on scene within minutes.

“Step right this way. Back of the head?” “Yeah, actually it is the back of the head.”

Investigators didn't have to wait long for their first lead. It came from residents nearby.

“Yes.” “Okay. Um his girlfriend just called. His kid's mother had a call from a young lady down there.”

“Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yep, and that's what we're in the process of trying to piece that all together. Ma'am, when the detectives get here, can you stay on the phone and then you guys can kind of all communicate together?”

“There's two detectives on the way. There's one Lansing Police detective and there's a state police detective that we work with State Police detectives. Somebody went I don't know who it is. Somebody came to the apartment, went in and I don't know the person's name. Went in and found him and then called the police.”

“That person is actually at the operations center getting interviewed by the detectives right now.”

That tip allowed detectives to trace a vehicle spotted close to the complex back to the girlfriend of a man named Neil Prince. Before following that thread though, investigators first sat down with the roommate who had made the original call.

“I was putting the key in and the door just opened.” “So, it wasn't latched?” “It wasn't even closed all the way. Basically, so as soon as I put the key in, it just opened.” “Okay.”

“The key just popped.” “Okay. You walk in the apartment and where do you go?” “I closed the door. As soon as I closed the door, I looked to the kitchen.”

“Uh-huh.” “And I just see everything thrown everywhere. So, I walked in the kitchen a little bit.” “Then I walked back into the living room. I'm like, 'Lou, what's his name?'” “Yeah.”

“I was calling out to see if he was in there. I'm like, it looked like somebody had been trying to rob the place. Which when I shut the crib, I'm thinking somebody in here still or what because the door is open.” “Okay.”

“But I ain't getting no answer. So, So, I kind of like walked by the couch and he was under the mattress.” “Did you go in the bedroom or anything?” “No. I stayed in the main area.”

“You stayed in the main area.” “Mhm.” “Okay, you walked over. Was there a part of him sticking out of it?” “It was like”

“How far in are we?” “It was like I just walked just enough like by the just the love sofa, the long one. Just and I seen to I seen like little bit of blood like splattered on the wall and This is what I'm thinking happened. Okay, he had somebody over and they were shooting dice or something like that and they got into it.” “Yeah.”

“That could be something that happened.” “Okay.” “There had to have been somebody in there. because he didn't say nothing to me about him about to go out or go anywhere or do nothing.”

What came out later was that the roommate had deliberately left something out. There was surveillance footage sitting on his own computer and he'd said nothing about it. Instead of handing it over, he moved it to a friend's place. The reasoning was simple. The people connected to this case were not the kind you wanted to cross.

What he didn't account for was that friend making a different call entirely. He went straight to detectives. Now, they knew the footage existed. They just didn't have it yet.

“So, he walked in the house with a computer.” “Yeah.”

“So, I don't know about that and went to computer and went back. It was like a like a touchscreen like mine is. Like something plugged into the wall. I thought that's what he was talking about.” “Was there Was there a laptop?”

“Was there a tower or a monitor? Was it all in one?”

“It was all in one. Just a touch like a touchscreen and then you just I think you plug it in the back and then you plug that piece into the wall. I don't know what that piece is called. I'm not really familiar with computers.”

“What is he telling you is going on? What because to me it would seem unusual that a friend would just show up with a computer, plug it in, and want to look at stuff. So, what is he telling you why he wants to do this? Why he showed up at your house at 8:00?” “because he was saying like he was like losing it and he was talking to her. Uh and he looked at the computer and then he was looking through the videos on the computer and it was some some kids or some random shaking through the through the room at the apartment he just asked me did I know who they were and I'm like no I don't know them I've never seen them before and I was like”

Needless to say, detectives were not satisfied, and the roommate found himself back in that room again.

“Okay, here it is. If I don't get that laptop, you're going to be arrested for obstruction. That's it. All right? That's your boy. That's your man.”

“I don't mean in the middle. I'm the one getting death threats. I ain't did nothing.”

“At least tell me this, okay? At least tell me this. Did For God's sake, you didn't delete it, did you? You didn't delete it, did you? Please tell me you didn't.”

“You didn't delete that, right? It's way too late for that. It's way too late for that. We're here. You did not delete that, did you?”

“It exists, right?”

The footage was real and this time he brought it in.

“See that bottom one right there at the top?” “Yeah. That's the one who came in the room first. Yeah. So click these.”

“Do these delete after a certain amount of time or no?”

“I'm not sure. It's really something else I put on. Yeah. It shouldn't though. It is low.”

“That is low. That is low volume.” “The change box.” “Change box?” “Yeah.”

“Like quarters or what?”

Now investigators had a set of questions that needed answering. Who were the two individuals on that recording? Who fired the shots? And was any of this planned in advance? What they couldn't have anticipated was how those answers would come together.

They started with Neil Prince, whose girlfriend had picked him up from the scene that night and told detectives he had said, "Lou's gone."

“Here's the deal, right? This homicide occurred on Bayview in the apartment over there. And that's over near the laundry room over there. We know that you were over there. You were seen over there.”

“And you were also on video over there.” “Why would that show up? I'm telling you what I was seeing. They videoed us walking. Let them tell you what I was seeing.”

“See, it is you. And like I said, the person saw you over there. That officer said he knows and recognizes you.” “Yeah, I'm going to talk to our person.”

“So, what we want to do here, listen to me. It's not the wrong person. But what we want to do here is one, we can't put words in your mouth. So, I can't give you possible scenarios that occurred. But everybody has a story.”

“Every situation has a story. We know something happened over there. We know you were there. What we need you to do now is tell us the circumstances which occurred. because there are a lot of circumstances that then explain why a situation occurred. But like I said, I can't put words in your mouth.”

“It's got to come from you. So, knowing that, and I'm not be I know you don't know me so I need but I'm not BSing you. We didn't pick your name or your apartment at random tonight. We got to have you just for no reason at all. We're talking to you because the stuff that I'm telling you is the truth.”

“So, what we need you to do, take a deep breath, explain to us what happened that night over at the apartment I gave you.” “I should talk to the person who's who said he lost his video. That's what I was saying that morning. So, I don't know what you mean. Like I said, they could”

“Let me ask you this. Did you know that there was surveillance footage in the apartment?” “Well, I don't”

“Did you know that there was surveillance footage in the apartment? Yes or no? Yes or no? Okay, I will tell you there was surveillance footage in the apartment. You were on the surveillance footage.”

“Do you realize that? I'm not bullshitting. So, that I'm giving you an opportunity to tell us what happened there.” “That's what I mean. He lost his video or something.”

“So, knowing that you're over there on video, somebody has identified you. There are certain items in the apartment tonight that we found that came from that apartment. Do you understand that we're you know what You understand that we're not BSing.” “I'm being for real, but”

“this is your opportunity. I don't know how else to make that clear. I can't put words in your mouth. I have I have an idea of probably what occurred and what happened, but I can't sit here and put words in your mouth. This is your opportunity to tell us what went on.”

“You know you weren't the only one there.” “I wasn't there.”

“You know you weren't the only one there, and this is your opportunity to tell us what went on. You also understand this is some something similar to like you see on TV. The person who starts talking first normally things work out best for that person. We're going to end up We're eventually going to talk to the people that were there. This is your opportunity to tell us what happened.”

Neil already knew investigators had him on camera. He already knew someone had identified him. What he didn't know was how much the police actually knew about what happened.

“Neil, do you understand the way DNA works?” “Mhm.” “Okay. And you understand that we have your DNA and bio from something like that incident, right?” “What incident?”

“Um you were wrapped up in some type of robbery. You were arrested for something in the past, okay? And they And they typically take your DNA or something like that. What I would like to do is I would like for your permission to get your DNA make to eliminate you because one of those people who are in there. Is that something you're willing to do?”

“Okay. That leads me to believe that maybe you've been in that apartment before.” “I have.” “Okay, you've never been in anybody's apartment over there.” “No.”

“Okay. Then I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't Why wouldn't you then?” “What's the point?” “The point is to eliminate you as a suspect.” “If you can eliminate me as a suspect about doing it, I'm saying no about doing it because I hope I can sit in line.”

“No, because I still I'm still missing a huge chunk of what your side of the story is. I mean, it just like Detective But listen, Detective Lenny and I already told you. You already know we have this video. We have people who positively ID'd you. You know Neal” “So you saw the video and again it's”

“Hold on. Hold on.” “I'm good.”

“Okay. That know you that know me you are, so they put you in there. My concern is that I don't know what happened. I don't know if you're being railroaded. I don't know if you're being falsely accused or if you were not the main guy in the in the group.”

“I don't know. The only person who can tell me that in this room, not me, not him, is you. You're the only person who can help me with that part of the story. I don't know that part of the story, Neal. You do know and you're you're that piece in the puzzle that can help us.”

“I don't” “Neil, I know you know.” “I'm trying to tell you”

“Okay, and I understand that you're saying that, but that's that's not the truth that's not the truth. It's not. I know that you can help us. But Neil, but part of the problem with that is we there's too many things that put you there. There's a dead man's property in your apartment that you only lived in for a couple weeks you're telling me.”

“a couple weeks”

“I'm telling you that there's a dead man's property in your apartment. I'm telling you that I know that someone had put you in that area and you're telling me that you weren't there. I know you were there, but what I need to know Neil is what happened. You're the only one who can help you with that. I need to know what happened.”

“I don't know what you're talking about, man. I don't know what property you're talking about.” “Okay.” “What's that?” “I got them on Letgo.”

“You got them on Letgo?” “Ordered 150.” “Eating. Where'd you get them from?” “They're all they're all You don't got no picture on them.”

“How'd you get them?” “I bought them off” “You didn't have contacts on the on Letgo? So who'd you contact?”

“I don't remember the name. I do not remember the name.”

His explanation for the Jordans was that he'd picked them up from a seller on Letgo. Straightforward enough, except for one problem. The footage showed him taking them directly out of Lou's room on the night Lou was killed.

“But see, that's the problem. We can see you in that video. We can see you grabbing the shoe box.” “What do you mean?” “How do you say you have a right to be in there?”

“From the dead man's house.”

“That's the part that I'm not I don't think you're understanding. Like we're not BSing you. I'm on a video. There's video of you grabbing the shoes. Those shoes were found where tonight in your apartment.”

“I'm not lying to you.” “I'm not lying.” “I'm assuming you hadn't heard about it until we told you.”

“Did you Did you hear anybody else? Did you hear anybody you know talk about a video that you're on in the dead man's house until today? So, you never even knew it existed.” “No.” “This is your opportunity, you.”

“Tell me about that. I don't know about the person that I know. Where did you buy that? I don't know the person. You say you want to buy it on the app.”

“Cheap little Chinese phone, I don't know what it is. So, the same guy sold you the gun? No, not the same guy.” “Where did you How did you get that then?”

“I don't know. I'm not sure. It's on Letgo.”

“So, you're scrolling on your Letgo account and you buy it or you get to and then you say you want to meet there? Is that what you're saying? So, if I go on your Letgo account, it'll have all this documentation.” “Mhm. I don't know if I remember it though.”

“What's your Letgo account? How do I get into that?” “I don't know. I mean, I think I remember.”

“Okay, we'll see. Maybe. So, you do it through your phone?” “No.” “How do you What device did you use to get it to do it on?”

“The tablet. I don't know if it's my phone or the tablet.” “Where's the tablet at?” “I don't know.”

“You ever worn these before? You've never worn them before? Do you ever worn these shoes?” “Never worn them.” “So, the picture on there So, the picture on there and the because he never wore that, so What was that picture of the picture?”

“I wore a white and black chain.” “What was the picture of the what were you wearing in the picture? Why is he gray pants fingers black and gray hoodie and some black shoes.” “Where did you take the picture at?” “outside”

“Who took the picture for you?” “Um” “You posted it somewhere? You sure about that? I don't know if I said this to you earlier, but when we're investigating a homicide and that is you're not truthful to us, that can get you in a lot of trouble, so that's that's a felony, so” “I didn't I never posted any pictures.”

“So if I showed you Facebook to pull up video wearing the shoes and the knuckles I'll give you a split.”

Neil had also posted photos to his Facebook showing himself wearing the victim's belongings. With that evidence accumulating, investigators shifted their approach and used the moment to see whether he'd name anyone else.

“Start small. Tell us who whose idea it was. You can start small. Tell us a little bit about what happened. If you don't want to talk about yourself, tell us about who you were with.”

“Is it because you're the shooter? Is that the right reason why you don't want to talk to us? because you think this doesn't get any better for you? Look at me, Neil. Is that why you don't want to talk to us? because you're the one who did the shooting?”

“I don't want to talk to you guys.” “If you didn't do the shooting, why don't you tell us who did? We know you were there. Talk to us, Neil.” “I'm trying.”

“Come on, lift your head up.” “You're sleepy and I'm I'm trying to have a conversation with you.” “I've been here like an hour and a half waiting and now you're trying to blame me for murdering him. You're all just expecting me to just sit here and tell everything when there's nothing to tell. I wasn't even there.”

“What I'm asking you to explain to me is why you were in the dead man's apartment. That's what I'm asking for you to explain to me. Why were you in there?” “I wasn't.” “How do you know him?”

“Know who?” “You're going to tell me you don't know Lou. Really?” “Who is Lou?”

“Okay. You might not know him by name, but you know him by dead body. I'm sure of that. I put a picture of his dead body up here. I'm sure that might ring a bell from that evening.”

“I don't know a dead body.” “I just don't I don't get it. I don't get why you wouldn't want to talk to yourself.” “I'm trying to get out of here.” “Was it your idea or somebody else's?”

“Was your idea, Neil, or somebody else's?” “What idea?” “To go over there that night.”

In the days following Lou's death, Neil had written song lyrics referencing killing someone over a pair of shoes.

Damning on its face, but was it enough to prove he pulled the trigger? Investigators would later find that the answer was more complicated than expected.

“Help me out here, Neil. I can sit here all night.” “I'm trying to keep you awake but I don't know how.” “I'm showing you respect by staying awake and asking you questions.” “I'm trying to stay awake but I keep asking the same questions so I”

“I am because you because I'm not getting the explanation.”

“I'm trying to tell you. Well, thank you for letting me know that you're not going to answer any questions on our behalf. Is that because you don't want to share and you're tired and maybe if I go to sleep they won't ask any more questions? But I got a lot on my mind right now, but I'll just pretend like I'm sleeping instead. That's typically what somebody who has information does.”

“I've got enough interviews to know that. And it's also what guilty people do as well, Neil. They pretend like they're sleeping. So, maybe they this will just go away and disappear. It's not Neil, it's not Neil.”

“It's not going to go away. It's not going to go away. It's not going to go away. I I just need to know why. And just like Detective Maloney said, a small portion.”

“Whose idea was it to go to Lou's house in the first place?” “Who? I don't know who” “Well, you might not know who he is. Whose idea was it to go to Bayview?” “I don't want to tell you.”

“And that's just where you're going to stand? You're not going to give yourself an opportunity. So, when the other people who are involved come in here and and point the finger at you, you're good with it?” “They can point at me. I don't know why I do nothing, so I'm not worried.”

“And you're clear that we have evidence clear evidence that shows you in that apartment” “and there was video surveillance.” “I don't know what was in that apartment. I'm I'm too” “You know there was a video surveillance or you know you weren't in there?” “I know I wasn't over there, so”

“Okay, well I'm telling you were. I guess that's the story you want to stick with.”

Neil wasn't giving them anything, so detectives moved on to Anthony Brown. He walked in on his own certain that the people around him were going to keep their mouths shut. That confidence was about to cost him.

“Let me throw this scenario for you. Now, this one Now, what we're talking about with the lure and everything, I'm just going to kind of create something new. Okay? So, you have a situation where it's similar. Guy in an apartment flashes his money.”

“Um likes to play dice. And some guys that you know, I don't know how many, some guys that he knows show up, knock on the door. Um he knows them. He lets them in. Now, all these guys had a knew he had money and planned to take the money.”

“But something happened. Somebody screwed up. Um Somebody made a mistake. Well, some of the guys that didn't have any type of weapon, they weren't there for that, right? They weren't there for that.”

“Um the other guy who might have had a weapon or some sort of screwed up. He didn't tell his boys this is bottom line. Okay? There's a difference to me. The guy You know, don't get me wrong.”

“You know, it's still wrong to show up and rob somebody. But there's a huge difference to me and, you know, the guy that was just taking I'm going to do a quick cash grab here and get out and the guy that's murdered somebody. Now, let's say that person that person that didn't have a weapon, the person that was there for the ride and didn't didn't kill anybody. Let's say that person decides to talk. Rather than wait and get caught, okay?”

“Let's say they decide to talk. Yeah, they might have to deal with some issues like with the with the attempted robbery or this or that. Yeah. But at least they're not a murder suspect, right? Am I right there?”

“Okay. At least they didn't wait until the police figured everything out and then want to say, 'Oh, okay.' All right. Yeah, because then you got no credibility if that person is in the situation. Then they don't have any credibility. But if they want to speak up beforehand rather than make us figure everything out.”

“Hey, you're a witness to a murder. Yeah. You went to go rob somebody. Well, at least you're not on the hook for murder. All right.”

“Big difference. Big difference. Now, if that scenario means something to you, if it strikes a chord with you, if it if makes you think about something, let me know. Okay? Does that Does that mean anything to you?”

“Does it mean anything to you? Okay. Um How about the person that's Hey, man, I I just shot Dice or tried to shoot Dice last hanging out with that guy last night and he's dead this morning and then we start hearing whispers. I heard I heard Johnny did I heard Bob did. And then show up and tell the police, 'I don't know nothing.' What about that person?”

“Do you think they should be Do you think Hey, you know what? That's not how we do things on the street. We don't we don't snitch, we don't do this, we don't do that. So, it's okay that I didn't tell the police. Okay?”

“Do you think they should get in trouble?” “Yes.” “Do you think they should” “still get in trouble?” “Okay.”

“Um just thought they're lying during this felony investigation. It's a homicide investigation.”

Anthony gave up nothing in his brief interview. No names, no information, but there was a complication. The roommate's surveillance footage showed a third individual inside that apartment.

“And who's that? Well, that's that's different than the other two guys, isn't it?” “No, I mean the ones who were in the room.” “Was it?” “Yeah, both of them.”

“Okay. So, we're talking about two guys not three.” “So, them are the ones that we saw on the on the screen anyways. Somebody else had at least been there with them.” “So, you think there's a third person in the in the room with them?”

“If they were not alone, where is the other person?”

Months passed. Then a corrections officer at a juvenile detention facility in the Lansing area came forward. He had overheard an inmate openly bragging about a deadly plan.

“So, I'm not sure if I was doing a room check or I might have followed him to his room. I really can't recall.” “Okay.”

“But as he was walking, he was hyped and he was like hyped about He was saying how he was like Um, I'm not getting out anytime soon. But I um But they was like they He was like they don't know about that body in December at this apartment or something. But I probably wouldn't have paid him no attention if he didn't say that. because he always is yelling and just being extra. Who did he just finish speaking with? Um, his JCO, Ms.”

“White.” “Ms. White. Oh.” “Okay.”

“Oh, he didn't call her again.” “Um He was glad the police didn't bring up that body at the apartment in December that they knew.” “Mhm.”

“Okay. So, let's let's talk in like direct quotes exactly what he said. He said that body that we did Luke, David, and Neil.” “Yes.”

“Okay. Back in December. And those are like exact words.” “Yeah, 18th night or that night. So, I” “You don't know which it”

“Yeah, I can't put it on. Yeah.” “Let's see. Let's see. They're doing so much criminal activity that we don't even”

“Don't even know. Yeah, I'm like I don't know.” “Okay. Neil's the only one who got caught because they had a Glock 9.”

“And I tell you he was going through so many things so the Glock 9 could have been to that or could have been something else that they did? Oh, okay.” “All right. Neil's getting out in March that he stayed. According to them.”

“Mhm. Right.” “Um I couldn't imagine us doing life. What do you think he means by that?”

“I feel like with all that going on because it was all in that conversation kept talking about life and he in March and blah blah and I kept talking about him getting out in March. That's what he just kept saying.” “But when he says I couldn't imagine us doing life, do you think that means doing life in prison?” “Yeah, that's what I would have assumed.”

That inmate was 15-year-old Willie Fletcher. He would be formally charged with the first-degree murder of Donovan Barfield. And for Anthony Brown and Neil Prince, Fletcher's willingness to talk would be their undoing.

A Lansing teenager has been charged in a murder investigation. Now, we've been tracking this story for several months. 15-year-old Willie Lee Fletcher is facing murder and felony firearms charges. Those are in the December 2018 death of Donovan Barfield. The Lansing State Journal reports Fletcher is being tried as an adult. Barfield was found shot to death in a Bayview Drive apartment December 14th.

Fletcher is the second person charged in connection to the killing. Neil Prince is awaiting trial on a murder charge in the case.

According to heavily redacted case documents, where Fletcher appears only as 15.2431, he agreed to provide a full account of events in exchange for a plea arrangement. In that statement, Fletcher said Anthony Brown had reached out to him telling him they had a lick to hit. Neil had been staying at Fletcher's residence at the time. When Anthony arrived, he was direct. He told both of them they were going to rob and kill someone that night.

No ambiguity. This was not improvised. It was planned. Fletcher stated that he fired first, and that Anthony Brown then fired additional shots, killing Donovan.

In October 2019, a jury returned a guilty verdict against Neil Prince on the charge of first-degree murder. Two months later at sentencing, he addressed the court with a single line, "There ain't no point to try to cry or beg." He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Willie Fletcher, by then 16 years old, received a sentence of 28 to 60 years in prison. In September 2021, following a 7-day trial, Anthony Brown was also convicted of first-degree murder. Like Neil, he received life without parole.

Donovan Barfield was 28 years old. He had a child on the way and another who would spend the rest of their childhood without him. He opened his door that night to people he knew and it cost him everything. In the days that followed, Neil Prince was posting photos of himself on Facebook in a dead man's belongings. Willie Fletcher was in a juvenile facility recounting what he'd done to anyone who'd listen.

Anthony Brown was out on the street greeting Donovan's friends as though nothing had happened. Not one of them expressed a single moment of remorse.