Christopher Dorch

Case record

NAME

Christopher Dorch

STATUS

Christopher Dorch was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on June 9, 1993.

Background

In 1989, David Ivory and Gregory Coffer were selling crack out of an apartment rented by “friend” Lemoyne Burke.

On a cold Thanksgiving evening in Flint, Michigan in 1989, Ivory and Coffer were selling crack out of the apartment rented by Lemoyne Burke.

At some point, Lemoyne Burke brought in a customer who was unknown to Ivory and Coffer.

The customer later identified as Christopher Dorch went to use the bathroom.

The offence

Christopher Dorch came out holding a pistol with a potato on the end of the barrel to act as a silencer.

Christopher Dorch fired one round at David Ivory, killing him.

Christopher Dorch ordered Gregory Coffer to lie on the ground while Lemoyne Burke robbed the place of the drugs and cash.

Christopher Dorch cut Coffer’s neck with a small pocket knife.

Christopher Dorch stabbed Coffer in the side of the head.

Christopher Dorch fled the scene with Lemoyne Burke.

After waiting a few minutes for the attackers to leave, Gregory Coffer got up and summoned help.

Investigation

The case was dormant until April 1990.

In April 1990, police presented Gregory Coffer with a photo line-up of suspects.

Gregory Coffer identified Dorch as the shooter.

Gregory Coffer told authorities that Dorch’s hair was different on the night of the murder.

Christopher Dorch’s lawyer claimed the photo line-up was a set-up because Dorch’s photo was the only one without facial hair and because only three of the six black men portrayed in the photos were dark-skinned, which Coffer had related to police.

The identification wasn’t enough to prompt an arrest.

The case went to the back of the line until September 14, 1992.

On September 14, 1992, police arrested Christopher Dorch for David Ivory’s murder.

Trial

At trial, the state presented a collection of circumstantial evidence linking Christopher Dorch to the crime.

Two witnesses, who knew Christopher Dorch, said they saw him around Lemoyne Burke’s apartment that Thanksgiving night.

Christopher Dorch’s cell-mate in the county lock-up testifed that Christopher Dorch told him about robbing a crack house using a potato as a silencer.

In his defense, Christopher Dorch told the court that he was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family in Detroit.

Christopher Dorch told the court that he had left Flint (and the crack business) in October 1989.

“Apparently believing the testimony of the State’s witnesses and not the testimony of Dorch, a jury convicted Dorch on all counts,” a Sixth Circuit panel wrote in 2004 denying a writ of habeas corpus.

Sentencing

The court sentenced Dorch to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction.

The court also imposed consecutive sentences of ten-to-twenty years for the assault conviction.

The court imposed a two-year sentence for the firearm conviction.

Appeals

In 2004, a Sixth Circuit panel denied a writ of habeas corpus.

Outcome

Christopher Dorch was convicted on all counts.

Other details

A Sixth Circuit panel wrote in 2004 that the jury convicted Dorch on all counts.