Michigan appeals court upholds decades-long sentence in 2012 cold case assault

LANSING — The Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of a man convicted in 2024 in connection to a 2012 sexual assault cold case.

The ruling ensures that 32-year-old Marshawn James Curtis will continue to serve a sentence of 17.5-80 years for a first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction stemming from a 2012 assault — a case that sat cold for years until the state’s push to process backlogged evidence kits.

The conviction of Curtis, who is incarcerated at the Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility, is a direct result of the Ingham/Jackson Regional Sexual Assault Team. 

Established in 2016, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative project, or SAKI, was designed to tackle a backlog of untested sexual assault kits across the state, providing a trauma-informed framework for re-investigation.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel praised the appellate decision, emphasizing the specialized work required to bring decades-old cases to trial.

“Our state’s SAKI units do a tremendous job prosecuting challenging cases and securing convictions for sexual assault survivors, and this case was no exception,” Nessel said. “Through this initiative, we will continue to support victims and help keep our communities safe.”

 

The appellate challenge

In his appeal, Curtis launched a multi-pronged attack on the trial’s conduct, arguing that his conviction was built on procedural errors. His defense team challenged several key elements, including that some evidence and testimony should have been excluded, that a witness for the prosecution was allowed to testify via videoconference and that Curtis’s sentence was at the top of the recommended guidelines — which he argued was disproportionate to the crime.

The Court of Appeals, however, rejected each of the claims, finding that the trial court acted within its discretion and that the evidence remained robust enough to support the jury’s original verdict.

Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane said the ruling is a validation of the rigorous standards maintained by local and state investigators.

“The Court of Appeals’ decision reinforces that this conviction was both fair and supported by the evidence,” Dewane stated. “We will continue to work tirelessly to hold offenders accountable and to pursue justice for survivors in every case we handle.”

The affirmation marks another milestone for the SAKI program, which continues to systematically work through historical cases to provide closure for survivors who, in many instances, waited over a decade for their day in court.