Murderer of Gun-Shop Owner Gets Life in Prison
Greg Anderson
March 31, 2005
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy, Inkster Police Chief Marvin H. Winkler and Special Agent in Charge Valerie J. Goddard of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Detroit Field Division announced today that Anthony R. Fields, Jr., 17, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Clyde Alexander, an Inkster gun dealer.
Fields is believed to be the "strong-arm" behind the crime spree that included robbery, arson and murder. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway sentenced Fields with no possibility of parole for the murder charge and 4-1/2 - 10 years for the arson. Fields was convicted March 18 of one count of first-degree murder, one count of arson and one count of felony firearm.
"All of the suspects in this case are very important; however, this subject was particularly vicious in his part in this senseless crime," Chief Winkler said.
On August 3, 2004, at approximately 10:50 a.m., a fire occurred at Alexander's Sporting Goods, 27367 Michigan Avenue, in Inkster. Alexander, 54, the co-owner of the federal firearms business, was beaten and robbed of more than 90 guns from his inventory. He later died of smoke inhalation.
"This was a brutal crime committed against one of our industry members," SAC Goddard said. "ATF responded immediately with every available resource and continued to work side-by-side with Inkster homicide detectives and the fire department until this crime was solved. I made a commitment to the Alexander family that we would not rest until someone was held accountable for this crime, and my hope is that this verdict and others to come will bring some measure of relief to the Alexander family."
Other defendants in this case have either been charged or convicted. David McKinney, 22, of Detroit, is also being prosecuted on the same charges as Fields, and a 14-year-old has already been convicted in juvenile court for second-degree murder and received a juvenile detention until his 21st birthday. The case is still under investigation.
"This has been a terrible ordeal for the family of Mr. Alexander," Worthy said. "I truly hope that the conviction of Anthony Fields will give them some comfort. The Inkster Police Department, ATF and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steve Taratuta worked hard to bring this case together. This joint effort is largely responsible for the successful results in this case. It definitely makes a difference when we all work toward a common goal."
This was the second robbery-murder of a federally licensed firearms dealer in Michigan in the past two years. The first robbery occurred in Lapeer County in 2002. "ATF is committed to protecting our industry members and will aggressively investigate any violent crime committed against them," SAC Goddard said.
Fields is believed to be the "strong-arm" behind the crime spree that included robbery, arson and murder. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway sentenced Fields with no possibility of parole for the murder charge and 4-1/2 - 10 years for the arson. Fields was convicted March 18 of one count of first-degree murder, one count of arson and one count of felony firearm.
"All of the suspects in this case are very important; however, this subject was particularly vicious in his part in this senseless crime," Chief Winkler said.
On August 3, 2004, at approximately 10:50 a.m., a fire occurred at Alexander's Sporting Goods, 27367 Michigan Avenue, in Inkster. Alexander, 54, the co-owner of the federal firearms business, was beaten and robbed of more than 90 guns from his inventory. He later died of smoke inhalation.
"This was a brutal crime committed against one of our industry members," SAC Goddard said. "ATF responded immediately with every available resource and continued to work side-by-side with Inkster homicide detectives and the fire department until this crime was solved. I made a commitment to the Alexander family that we would not rest until someone was held accountable for this crime, and my hope is that this verdict and others to come will bring some measure of relief to the Alexander family."
Other defendants in this case have either been charged or convicted. David McKinney, 22, of Detroit, is also being prosecuted on the same charges as Fields, and a 14-year-old has already been convicted in juvenile court for second-degree murder and received a juvenile detention until his 21st birthday. The case is still under investigation.
"This has been a terrible ordeal for the family of Mr. Alexander," Worthy said. "I truly hope that the conviction of Anthony Fields will give them some comfort. The Inkster Police Department, ATF and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steve Taratuta worked hard to bring this case together. This joint effort is largely responsible for the successful results in this case. It definitely makes a difference when we all work toward a common goal."
This was the second robbery-murder of a federally licensed firearms dealer in Michigan in the past two years. The first robbery occurred in Lapeer County in 2002. "ATF is committed to protecting our industry members and will aggressively investigate any violent crime committed against them," SAC Goddard said.
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