Jean Pierre Orlewick

Case record: Jean Pierre Orlewicz

Background

Jean Pierre Orlewicz was an 18-year-old high school senior from Canton, Michigan.

Daniel Sorensen, 26, was a registered sex offender in Michigan and Illinois due to a misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct charge he received at age 17.

Prosecutors described the killing as a “thrill” killing because of its gruesomeness and the apparent lack of serious motive.

Orlewicz allegedly owed Daniel Sorensen a sum of money, and Sorensen was in possession of Orlewicz's gun.

The offence

Daniel Sorensen was killed on November 7, 2007.

The offence involved repeated stabbing and decapitation of Daniel Sorensen, along with torching and burning actions after the killing.

Sorensen’s torso was found on the side of a road. His hands and feet had been burned with a blowtorch. His head was found nearly 15 miles away. He had been stabbed 12 times.

Prosecutors alleged that Orlewicz and Alexander Letkemann lured Sorensen into Orlewicz’s grandfather’s garage, where Sorensen was stabbed multiple times and decapitated. Authorities said Sorensen’s body was wrapped and later transported for disposal.

Prosecutors described three crime scenes:

• the first crime scene was within Orlewicz’s grandfather’s garage, where prosecutors said the stabbing death took place, along with Sorensen’s decapitation and the torching of his fingerprints;
• the second crime scene was a cul-de-sac in a partially developed subdivision, where prosecutors said Sorensen’s torso was dumped and set on fire with gasoline;
• the third crime scene was a river on the outskirts of Detroit, where prosecutors said the victim’s head was deposited.

Investigation

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy labeled the killing a “thrill killing”—a murder with no apparent motive.

Investigators said Sorensen’s history as a registered sex offender and his alleged possible debt to his attackers had “nothing to do with his death.”

Arrest

Jean Pierre Orlewicz was arrested on November 12, 2007.

On November 12, 2007, Orlewicz and Alexander James Letkemann were charged with the November 7 murder and decapitation of Daniel Sorensen.

Orlewicz and Letkemann were arraigned on one count each of first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder and mutilation of a corpse. Not guilty pleas were entered on their behalf, and both were ordered held without bond and were due in court next Monday.

Trial

Charges and trial framing

Orlewicz was charged with premeditated murder, felony murder, and mutilation of a corpse.

Prosecutors called the killing a “thrill killing.”

Jury proceedings and verdict

Convicted Orlewicz was found guilty of all counts on April 16, 2008.

The jury was described as eight men and four women. The jury deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days before reaching a unanimous verdict.

The jury rejected Orlewicz’s claim that he acted in self-defense.

Orlewicz’s testimony and admissions

Orlewicz testified in his own defense and insisted he feared for his life.

He admitted stabbing Daniel Sorensen 13 times (and also repeatedly stabbing him) and admitted that after Sorensen died, he used a hacksaw to decapitate him.

Orlewicz told the jury he threw Sorensen’s torso into a field and set it on fire.

He admitted taking a blowtorch to Sorensen’s hands to cover up fingerprints.

Orlewicz testified that after an extortion plan went awry and Sorensen threatened his life, he stabbed Sorensen.

Orlewicz also testified that he had planned to pretend that Daniel Sorensen could not make it once Sorensen arrived, and that Sorensen’s temper flared.

Orlewicz described the confrontation as occurring in his grandfather’s garage.

Orlewicz testified that Sorensen took out a gun and threatened to kill him. He quoted Sorensen as: “You think this is a game?” “I’m going to drop you to your knees and blow your frigging brains out.”

Orlewicz testified that as the two fought, the gun dropped from Sorensen’s hand, and that he kept trying to stab Sorensen to get leverage, including that he was “stabbing him in the back.”

Orlewicz testified: “There was not a murder.”

Orlewicz also corroborated Letkemann’s testimony that Letkemann stood by and did nothing as Orlewicz stabbed Sorensen.

Orlewicz denied an assertion that he played with Sorensen’s head like a puppet, stating: “That’s someone else’s imagination,”

Orlewicz told jurors he feared that Sorensen was tied to the Mafia and that his family would come after him, and he said his actions after the death were out of panic.

Prosecution arguments and witness statements

Prosecutors alleged that Orlewicz was excited by the prospect of killing someone and getting away with it.

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Robert Moran told jurors in closing arguments that Orlewicz’s self-defense theory was bogus and that Orlewicz’s testimony about an extortion plan was a cover-up for a calculated murder.

Moran told jurors: “There was no plan to extort money.” “That was the ruse to get the victim there.”

Defense attorney Joseph Niskar asked the jury to consider the “fear factor” when Sorensen, who was twice Orlewicz’s size, threatened Orlewicz with a gun.

Niskar argued that if Orlewicz had plotted the murder, he would not have brought a “knife to a gunfight” but instead would have brought a stronger weapon to combat the gun.

Moran argued that the only possible way for jurors to find Orlewicz not guilty was to believe Orlewicz’s testimony rather than every other person who took the stand.

Moran asked: “Where was his emotion when he testified?” “Where was his emotion when he testified that he had to kill Mr. Sorensen?” “When he had to cut off his head?” “He testified like he was ordering a pizza.” “A typical day.” “That’s him.” “That’s cold.”

Moran recounted the gory details of how Orlewicz admitted to decapitating Sorensen and covering up the crime, saying: “We’ll never forget it.”

Evidence about planning

Witness testimony included evidence about tarps being put up in Orlewicz’s grandfather’s garage and evidence about the purchase of Drano.

The cashier Lisa Chen testified that the day before Orlewicz purchased one bottle of Drano mid-afternoon, Orlewicz returned about an hour later and bought three more bottles.

On cross-examination, defense questioned Detective William Helke with: “You don’t know if those containers were ever even opened.”

Witness testimony included that Alex Mullins, 17, testified that Orlewicz planned to kill Sorensen on November 6 and that the plan was postponed until the next day. Mullins testified that when the plan was postponed, he decided he didn’t want to be involved.

Mullins testified that Orlewicz had spoken for weeks about wanting to kill Sorensen.

Mullins said: “He wanted to stab Dan.” “He wanted to bag him up in a tarp, hang him upside down from a tree, burning.” “He said he wanted to cut his head off.”

Letkemann’s plea and testimony

Alexander Letkemann was Orlewicz’s co-defendant until the previous week when he took a plea deal.

Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on April 1. He was described as having pleaded guilty to second-degree murder to avoid a first-degree murder conviction.

Letkemann was scheduled to be sentenced in April, and prosecutors recommended 20 to 30 years.

During his testimony, Letkemann claimed he witnessed the murder but only helped clean up afterwards and had no part in the killing. He was described as being with Orlewicz every step of the way as Orlewicz stabbed Daniel Sorensen to death and beheaded him.

Letkemann was sentenced to 20-30 years in prison for his involvement in the murder on Wednesday, April 23, 2008.

Sentencing

Because Orlewicz was convicted of first-degree murder, he faced mandatory life imprisonment.

Judge Annette J. Berry handed down the sentence on May 12, 2008.

Judge Annette J. Berry said to Orlewicz: “I’m grateful you are going away for the rest of your life because, in my view, I believe you would have killed again.”

Orlewicz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and an additional 10 years for mutilation of a corpse.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Jean Pierre Orlewicz was convicted on April 16, 2008 of first-degree murder, felony murder, and mutilation of a corpse.

Alexander Letkemann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20-30 years in prison.

Other details

The case was described as involving “gory stabbing, beheading and torching of a Michigan man.”

During the trial, prosecutors and the defense exchanged arguments about self-defense, planning, and the appropriateness of the jury focusing on sentencing differences.

During jury deliberations, the jury asked if they could learn the sentencing differences between first-degree premeditated murder and second degree murder. The judge reminded the jury not to be concerned with the years Orlewicz might serve if convicted and expressed concern that “some of you are considering the penalty here…this is not appropriate.”

The jury asked for statements of prosecution witness Adam Duwe, who was said to have been the teen Orlewicz claimed was going to be extorted on November 7, 2007, as well as the statements of Alex Letkemann. It was stated that Duwe did not give a statement to police and that only one statement of Letkemann’s was entered into evidence.

The jury received 10 photos, including two of the body of Dan Sorensen.

During trial proceedings, it was stated that a juror had been removed for cause due to a workplace association with the defendant’s family.

Orlewicz was described as being from Plymouth, and Letkemann was described as being from Westland.