The brother of a man from Eastpointe was attacked by his former neighbor, who fatally shot him and his girlfriend under the false assumption that they had stolen drugs from him.
Dayna Robinson, the sister of the victims, emotionally addressed the court during Dennis C. Evans’ sentencing at Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens. Evans received a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murders of Robinson’s brother, Dorian Mitchell, and his girlfriend, Christie Davis, outside their Eastpointe apartment in January 2022. Evans mistakenly believed that Mitchell and Davis had burglarized his residence and taken drugs, a misconception he later discovered was untrue. Mitchell and Davis lived in the same building on 10 Mile Road.
Expressing her anguish, Robinson stated in court, “I just hope that whatever you endure in jail will mirror the suffering you inflicted on them, only worse. My brother and Christie were innocent victims who did not deserve this fate, and no amount of punishment can bring them back. Even the death penalty wouldn’t undo the harm you’ve caused.”
Robinson, who named her son after her late brother, highlighted Evans’ prior convictions for murders in Wayne County and criticized his lack of remorse and disregard for consequences.
The sentencing hearing was attended by Mitchell’s other sisters, Sharesse Mitchell and Desirea Robinson, his mother, Rachel Mitchell-Miller, and Davis’ sister. Robinson described her brother as a hardworking individual who aimed to distance himself from street life. Mitchell was employed at a factory near 23 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue and would occasionally walk to work if he missed the bus.
Evans was found guilty of two counts of first-degree, premeditated murder by a jury in February, following a trial at the circuit court. The shootings took place on January 27, 2022, in the parking lot of the apartment building located west of Gratiot Avenue. After the crime, Evans fled to Indiana and Missouri before being apprehended five days later in San Antonio, Texas.
In addition to the murder charges, Evans was convicted of drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms. Authorities discovered 86 grams of fentanyl in his apartment.
Judge Edward Servitto extended his sympathies to the families, condemning the incident as “senseless” and “unnecessary.”
While Evans chose not to address the court, his attorney, Jeffery Cojocar, conveyed his client’s remorse for the irreversible loss of life. Cojocar acknowledged the dangerous nature of drug-related activities.
Dayna Robinson later remarked that Evans’ remorse was likely only due to being caught, implying insincerity in his expressions of regret.
According to Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Jurij Fedorak, the female perpetrators who falsely accused Mitchell and Davis were associated with Evans as drug runners. One of these individuals is facing charges for the murder of the other in Wayne County.
Evans’ criminal history includes convictions for second-degree murder in 1979 and both first-degree and second-degree murder in 1991 in Wayne County. Although initially sentenced to life imprisonment for first-degree murder, he was released in 2015 before life sentences became mandatory for such offenses.