Nathaniel Abraham

Case identification

Nathaniel Abraham is the individual named in the record (also referred to as Nathaniel Jamal Abraham). The source states he was born January 19th 1986.

Timeline

• October 27, 1997 — Abraham shot and killed Ronnie Greene, Jr. in Pontiac, Michigan.
• 1999 — Abraham stood trial for the shooting death of Ronnie Greene, Jr. in Pontiac, Michigan.
• January 18, 2007 — Abraham was released from juvenile detention; the release coincided with his being 20 years old.
• January 19, 2007 — Reporting describes Abraham as a free man celebrating his 21st birthday and states his plans around education and housing.
• January 22, 2007 — An AP report describes a judge releasing Abraham from all state supervision during a final status hearing on Thursday; it also describes his expected release timeline and related commentary.
• 2005 — Abraham obtained a high-school diploma.
• June 2007 — The source says Abraham was set to begin classes at Wayne State University.

The offence

Abraham was found guilty of shooting and killing Ronnie Greene, Jr. in Pontiac, Michigan. The events giving rise to the murder trial took place on October 27, 1997. On that day, the source describes Abraham as an eleven-year-old, who shot and killed Greene with a .22 caliber rifle. The source also states Greene was eighteen-year-old at the time of the shooting.

Charges and legal framework

Abraham was charged with first-degree murder under a Michigan “get-tough” law. The source states that the Michigan law allowed prosecutors to charge juveniles of any age with serious felonies. The source states that the Juvenile Waiver Law lowered the age at which juveniles could be automatically tried as adults and created a new process in which juveniles of any age could be charged, tried, and sentenced as adults within the juvenile court system. The source also states the law differed from traditional juvenile law, which permitted judges to use discretion in weighing criteria such as “the nature of the offender's action, psychiatric evaluations, and previous criminal history.” The source states Abraham was prosecuted as the first young person charged with murder to be prosecuted under the 1997 Michigan law that allowed adult prosecutions of children of any age in a serious felony case.

Trial

A jury found Abraham to be guilty of second-degree murder. The source states that the defense attorney later argued to have the mental capacity of a six-year-old. The source states sentencing after conviction was handled in accordance with Michigan Juvenile Waiver Law options described in the record.

Sentencing

The sentencing judge was Eugene Arthur Moore. After the jury convicted Abraham of second-degree murder, Judge Eugene Arthur Moore rejected any adult punishment. The source states Judge Moore had three options under the Michigan Juvenile Waiver Law: to sentence Abraham only as an adult; to sentence him as a juvenile; or to give a blended sentence in both juvenile and adult criminal systems. Judge Moore found that the option that best met the needs of Abraham and the public was a sentence within the juvenile system only. Judge Moore imposed a sentence that placed Abraham in a juvenile facility, subject to continued supervision within the court, until he reached the age of twenty-one, at which time the court would lose jurisdiction. The source states the sentence was eight years of juvenile detention with a mandated release at age 21. The record also states that though convicted as an adult, Abraham was sentenced as a juvenile by Moore.

In-custody conduct and progress (as described in the record)

The source states Abraham continued to struggle with anger management and bucking authority figures. The source states he got into a few fights at Maxey Boys Training Center. The source states that Moore said Abraham stole cleaning supplies for his girlfriend at a halfway house, but none of the incidents resulted in further charges. The source states Abraham earned his GED and began college classes during his time in custody. The source states that Abraham obtained a high-school diploma in 2005 after being three to four grade levels behind. The source states Moore chronicled progress, including a “growing sense of responsibility for himself and empathy for others.” The source states the judge cited missteps, including fighting and stealing cleaning supplies for his girlfriend, and that Moore said “none were very serious.” The source states Abraham was punished for mouthing off and threatening one of his counselors after being fouled during a basketball game. The source states he took anger-management training. The source states that during the past few months, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Deborah Carley said he stole supplies from the halfway house and on another occasion left without telling anyone.

Release and post-release status

The record states Abraham was released from juvenile detention on Thursday, and that Oakland County judge released him from juvenile detention. The source states that on Thursday, Moore signed the release order, and with that Abraham was a free man walking out of the courtroom. The record states the AP report said a judge released Abraham from all state supervision more than nine years after the then-11-year-old used a rifle to shoot and kill a man outside a Pontiac convenience store. The source states Abraham was living in a halfway house in Bay City, 70 miles north of his family in Pontiac. The record states Abraham’s mother still lives in Pontiac.

Quotes and statements (verbatim, as presented)

Judge Eugene Arthur Moore

Judge Eugene Arthur Moore encouraged Abraham in court to give thanks to those who had invested years in his rehabilitation and to the Greene family by succeeding in life. The record includes the following quote:

“Nathaniel, you can succeed. You have the guts, the training, the ability, and you can make it,” Moore told him Thursday. “ But only you can decide what direction you will go.”

During the later AP-described court remarks, the record includes:

“Show us all that you have become a caring, productive member of society,” said Moore, who has been stern yet supportive of Abraham over the years. “I know you can do it. Do it.”

Abraham

The record includes:

“I owe a debt to everybody involved in this case,” Abraham told Moore in court. “I'd like to thank you for taking that chance and believing in me. You saw something in me before a lot of people did. “I'm going to make the best of it.”

In the AP-described account, the record includes:

“You saw something in me before a lot of people did,” Abraham said. “Sure enough, I'm not going back into society to cause any other families any hurt or harm.”

The record also includes Abraham’s statement to his sister Michelle Peoples-Dudley about his plans on his birthday:

He told me 'I'm not going to do anything. I'm free. I'm just going to relax. I don't have to worry about anyone saying 'It's time to wake up' on my birthday. I get to do what I want and I'm just going to relax.'"

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Deborah Carley

Deborah Carley is quoted in relation to the program and services:

“My point to (the state) was if Wayne County doesn't need that spot, transfer it to Oakland,” Carley said.

Deborah Carley is also quoted on supervision and rehabilitation:

“There are so many problems,” she said. “This is not success.”

Maureen Sorbet

Maureen Sorbet is identified as a spokeswoman for Human Services; the record states:

Carley said based on meetings she had last week with Abraham's attorneys and state workers on his case, there is no question that Abraham has been given a two-year commitment by the state for services, plus the four years of free tuition.

The record also states:

Maureen Sorbet, spokeswoman for Human Services, said the state so far has only provided Abraham with a security deposit and first month's rent as part of an emergency services program.

Nichole Edwards (Greene’s sister)

The record includes Nichole Edwards’s statements:

“All we have is a cemetery plot to go to,” she said. The record includes: She does not feel Abraham is remorseful or has truly been rehabilitated. The record includes: “One of my biggest fears is that he will get out and cause someone else grief,” she said.

Robin Adams (Greene’s mother)

Robin Adams is quoted:

“I think he should have people right with him,” she said. The record also includes: “The main thing is that he get on with his life, and give himself over to the Lord.”

Daniel Bagdade (attorney)

The record includes Bagdade’s statements:

“The hardest part lies ahead of him,” Bagdade said. “It's going to be extremely difficult for Nate to be released and live independently. People think the easy part is him being released. But really the hard part is just beginning -- what he has to do now.”

The record includes:

Bagdade said he is happy that Abraham will receive further assistance.

The record also includes:

“He's come a long way and we're proud of him. We're standing by him.”

The record includes:

He's going back to his own apartment -- his own apartment,” said Bagdade, with a look of relief after a decade of defending Abraham. “He's going to sleep in his own bed and watch what he wants to watch ... without anyone telling him what to do.”

Gloria Abraham-Holland (mother) (as quoted)

The record includes Gloria Abraham-Holland’s statements:

“I know he can do it with the help of the Lord and the support of his family,” said Abraham-Holland, who added that the family was to gather Friday to celebrate her son's birthday.

Outcome

Abraham was convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to eight years of juvenile detention. The record states release occurred at age 21 / mandated release at age 21, and that Abraham was released on January 18, 2007, aged 20. The record also states he was released from juvenile detention and later released from all state supervision as described in the AP report. The record describes Abraham being a free man, and indicates he was no longer a ward of the state.

Aftermath (education, housing, and support programs as described)

The record states that as of June 2007, Abraham was set to begin classes at Wayne State University, with a goal to become a gym teacher. The record says it was unclear whether a convicted murderer is allowed to teach in schools. The record describes a Detroit News report that on January 19, 2007, Abraham planned to re-enroll in classes at Delta College, with the state footing tuition bill for the next four years. The record describes a Bay City apartment furnished and paid for by Michigan taxpayers. The record describes that prosecutors were furious that Abraham is being given free services through a Foster Care Demonstration Project. The pilot program is described as designed to help Wayne County foster care children who are phased out of the system at age 18 but still need support from the state. The record states the state ordered Abraham be given a spot in the pilot program despite the fact that Abraham is no longer a ward of the state and not eligible for such services. The record states that the state ordered support for the Wayne County program even though Abraham was from Pontiac and convicted in Oakland County. The record describes details of the program eligibility: two years of free rent, full college tuition paid by Michigan Rehabilitation Services through age 25, and food stamps applied for. The record states Abraham must live in Michigan and attend college in the state to remain eligible in the program. The record states the state so far had only provided a security deposit and first month’s rent as part of an emergency services program. The record states Abraham arrived at Oakland Circuit Court wearing a black fur coat, ivory fedora hat, ivory and hot-pink pinstriped suit with matching pink tie and shoes; his attorney said his client paid for the clothes through money saved from jobs while in rehabilitation. The record states Abraham planned to begin a full-time job as a maintenance worker at a manufacturing facility in Bay City. The record states that Bagdade said Abraham would like to parlay eight years’ worth of lyrics and poetry into a music career. The record also describes Abraham living in his own apartment and sleeping in his own bed after release, as described by Bagdade.

Other details

The source describes the controversy around treating juveniles accused of violent crimes similarly to adults, and states the debate took place against the backdrop of public outrage and increased media coverage of violent crimes committed by children. The record states youth crimes as a whole had been declining since 1995, but states such as Michigan adopted a “get tough” approach due to the growing number of violent crimes committed by minors. Prosecutors at the time said Abraham had hidden the rifle, told people he intended to kill, and voiced worry about gangs coming after him. The defense argued the shooting was accidental and that Abraham was aiming at trees and not at Greene. The record states Abraham had a short stay at a medium-security camp and years in a maximum-security facility. The record notes there are diverging opinions on how much Abraham had changed in that time. The record states Greene was 18-year-old, and that the shooting occurred outside a Pontiac convenience store. The record includes mentions of armed details related to a rifle but does not provide additional weapon details beyond the .22 caliber rifle. The record lists the names of Ronnie Greene’s sister, Nichole Edwards, and his older sister Michelle Peoples-Dudley, and includes statements from both in the record. The record states Abraham was expected to be released on his 21st birthday, and that Moore signed the release order Thursday so that Abraham was released before Friday.