The Michigan Daily - Friday, July 6, 1984 - Page 5
Ypsilanti man faces life in prison
Hart convicted in Faber murder
By GEORGEA KOVANIS
A Washtenaw County Circuit Court jury last month
convicted Ricardo Hart of first degree murder for his
part in the Nov. 22 shooting death of Nancy Faber, a
city resident.
After about seven hours of deliberation, the jury
found Hart, a 20-year-old Ypsilanti man, guilty of
armed robbery, first degree murder and possession
of a firearm. The conviction calls for mandatory life
imprisonment. Formal sentencing is scheduled for
July 13 before Judge Ross Campbell.
HART WILL appeal the verdict, said defense at-
torney Thomas Quarterman.
Hart's 17-year-old girlfriend, Machelle Pearson,
was convicted on the same charges June 1. She is
also scheduled to appear before Campbell for
sentencing July 13.
Faber, a 39-year-old speech therapist with the
Plymouth Canton School District, was shot with a .38
caliber handgun in the right side of the neck during a
robbery near the Kroger store at Plymouth and
Green. She died three days later of massive brain
damage without ever regaining nconsciousness.
* Council
approves
Beicher 's
buld ing,
By ERIC MATTSON
The Ann Arbor City Council this week -
finally approved the construction of a
seven-story office building to be built on ... P
the site of the old Sun Bakery. he was uns
The building, known as the Shipman Peterson
Office Building, will be owned by three when th
local developers, including Mayor establishm
Louis Belcher. Councilmember Jeff thnedf
Epton (D-Third Ward) was the only housing i
councilmember who openly opposed the housing in
plan because Belcher is a co-owner. b eterso
THE BUILDING, which will be in the h(g
located at 301 E. Liberty, 'will take the snoderate
place of the Sun Bakery, the Depot, and
an apartment building. house on F
Developer John Corey said construc- year.
tion could begin as soon as this fall. It Irocal
will be occupied by retail space on the which will
first floor and office space on the Sun Baker
second through seventh floors. vert the D
. In addition, Corey said, there will be office spat
34 underground parking spaces at the Also n
site. ' Council ap
The Council tabled a vote on final ap- $40,000 fC
proval of the building last month Emergen
because several councilmembers had Program t
questions about the project. The pr
Councilmember Lowell Peterson (D- through
First Ward) wanted to link the building cluding th
to low-income housing elsewhere, but drew's Ep
THROUGHOUT HER trial, Pearson testified that it
was Hart who forced her to approach Faber in the
parking lot of the shopping center. She said she was
afraid Hart would abuse her if she did not carry out
the crime.
Pearson said she asked Faber for a ride and then
robbed her in the car. Pearson said the gun' went
off accidentally during the robbery.
During the Hart trial, Quarterman unsuccessfully
attempted to prove that Hart was not at the scene of
the shooting and was not Pearson's accomplice.
HART SHOWED no emotion when the jury, com-
posed of six men and six women, leveled its verdict.
But Quarterman, a Detroit-based attorney, said he
was surprised by the jury's decision. "I wanted (the
verdict) to be not guilty. Naturally I was surprised. I
was shocked," he said.
"I can't say whether (the verdict) was fair. It was a
verdict and we have to live with that verdict," Quar-
terman said.
ACCORDING TO Quarterman, the publicity
surrounding the Faber shooting-some say it was in-
tensified by the fact that she was the wife of Ann Ar-
bor News chief editorial writer Donald Faber-hurt
his client.
Saying that the media coverage had made it im-
possible to seat an impartial jury in Washtenaw
County, Quarterman unsuccessfully petitioned to
have the trial moved during the early stages of the
trial.
More than 60 potential jurors were turned away
during the week-and-a-half selection period because
of their knowledge of the Pearson trial.
"There were too many people who knew about
Machelle's case," he said after the jury handed down
its verdict.
However, Brian Mackie, assistant county
prosecutor, said the jury reached a just decision.
"I thought the arguments of the defense were
desperate and illogical," Mackie said, adding that it
was "inescapable" that Pearson and Hart were
together the night of the shooting.
Hart used Pearson as a "puppet," he sai . "(Hart)
was too cowardly to do a robbery himsel .He used
her age and appearance to do it for him," Mackie
said.
Pierce announces
candidacy
By ERIC MATTSON
Edward Pierce, a popular local
politician and former state senator, an-
nounced his candidacy for Ann Arbor
mayor this week.
"I think we have a chance to elect a
Democratic mayor (next April)," he
said. "Obviously, I like politics."
A Republican has not yet announced
his candidacy for mayor,.and-incum-
bent Mayor Louis Belcher has
repeatedly said he will not seek reelec-
tion after seven years at the helm.
Mayor pro-tem and Councilmember
Gerald Jernigan (R-Fourth Ward) has
indicated he would not have time to
assume the role of mayor, and some ob-
servers say Belcher's absence from
for mayor
city politics may leavea power vacuum
in the Republican party.
Pierce, a,53-year-old physician, was a
councilmember in the 1960s and was a
state senator before running an unsuc-
cessful campaign for governor in 1962.
He has also run for Congreas and
mayor.
No other Democrat has announced a
candidacy for mayor, but Pierce said
"my guess is that several people are
thinking about it."
Among those who may be considering
running are Councilmember Larry
Hunter (D-First Ward) and University
Natural' Resources Prof. Bunyan
Bryant.
Peterson
ushes low-income housing
successful.
i did win a victory, however,
e Council approved the
ment of a task force to study
or low- and moderate-income
Ann Arbor.
nhas said there is a vacuum
ousing market for low- to
-income people, especially
Downtown Club, a rooming
Fourth Ave., was closed last
ly, the same partnership
own the office building at the
'y site is also planning to con-
owntown Club to high-priced
ce.
this week's meeting, the
proved a resolution to supply
or the continuation of the
cy Food Distribution
this year.
rogram 'distributes meals
several local agencies, in-
e Salvation Army and St. An-
iscopal Church.
PSN awaits decision on
international law defense
By THOMAS HRACH
The eleven members of the
Progressive Student Network who were
charged with trespassing during a sit-in
last March are waiting to find out
whether they will be able to argue that
the sit-in was justified under inter-
national law.
At a June 22 pre-trial hearing, defen-
se attorney Donald Koster presented
the PSN's argument. He said the
military research in Prof. George Had-
dad's engineering lab violated inter-
national law and threatened the PSN
members' health and safety. Koster
said the trespassers' actions were
justified because the intent was to
prevent a crime.
"TRESPASSING IN this case was not
a crime of criminal intent," he said.
"There are times a person can act
unlawfully and still not be guilty of a
crime." He said the "mental state of
the clients" would be a crucial factor in
the case.
On May 16 the prosecution filed a
motion to prevent the PSN from using
the international law defense. Elden
must now rule on whether it will be
allowed.
Rather than try the 11 as a group,
Elden said he would break the
protestors up into three groups for trial.
The trials will begin on August 23, Sep-
tember 6, and September 13.
Beer strike ends
By GREGORY HUTTON unaware that there was ever a beer
Beer drinkers no longer have to strike as the town's supply never got
worry about where their next beer is very low.
coming from as the strike against local The six-week strike affected four
beer distributors is over. Drivers and local distributors: O&W, Inc.; Try-Me
warehouse workers of Teamsters Local Distributing Co.; Brewery Products, Inc.;
247 have returned to work and the and Jack Smith Beverages. Inc.
summertime beer supply is back to Hugh Wanty, a spokesman for O&W,
normal levels. said he was happy that everything is
A spokesman 'for Campus' Corner, back to normal, but he doubted whether
said yesterday that both supply and union members were fully satisfied
delivery of beer were back to normal with the new settlement because the
within a week of the conclusion of the agreement was not ratified by 100 per-
strike. Most area residents seem cent of the union members.
CONSULTANTS TO MULTINATIONAL FIRMS
seek qualified individuals with language and area expertise on
foreign markets. Previous work experience overseas, preferred.
Part-time and full-time available as well as some weekend semi-
nars. Fee Paid. Send resume or request for application to:
SWENSON, CRAWFORD & PAINE
Box A3629, Chicago, IL 60690 *