Jury Convicts Man in Violent 2009 Grayton Street Home Invasion

A Wayne Circuit Court jury found Terry Anthony Brown guilty of first degree home invasion in the Nov. 27, 2009, assault of a Grayton Street couple who police have said were likely spared of a much worse outcome by the interruption of a neighbor who came to their rescue. 

Brown is one of two men involved in the violent home invasion, during which one man attacked the husband in the backyard and the other attacked the wife inside the home. Ultimately, the second man, Park Detective David Loch said, died several months after this crime while participating in a similar home invasion elsewhere.

Judge Linda Parker will sentence Brown Dec. 9. The jury found him guilty of:

• first degree home invasion, which carries up to 20 years in prison
• assault with the intent to rob while unarmed, which carries up to 15 years in prison
• misdemeanor aggravated assault, which carries up to one year in prison

He will also be sentenced on a habitual offender count, which means he could face up to life in prison. The count is teathered to the home invasion charge.

In a written statement, Park Public Safety Director David Hiller complimented the work of the many people involved with case--from Loch, the lead detective, to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab and the victims. He also noted how rare such violent crimes are in the community and the complicated nature of the investigation. 

Both men ran from the home in the 1300 block of Grayton Street when a neighbor interrupted the attacks. Some clothing was left behind by the men, which was submitted for DNA testing but because of a backlog in the crime lab's testing, the results showing Brown's DNA did not surface until October 2010. He was arrested in November 2010. 

Loch and the victims along with other witnesses testified in the three-day trial. Loch described the victims as the "true heros" and said they were strong from the very beginning of the case. They provided officers with information and were available throughout the investigation, even through their testimony during his trial.

Hiller described Brown as a career criminal. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, his previous convictions involve weapons offenses. The home invasion case is will be at least the second time he has been charged with habitual offender.