Detroit Man Gets Life Without Parole For Rape, Murder Of 5-Year-Old Girl

DETROIT — A Detroit man convicted in the abduction and slaying of his girlfriend's 5-year-old niece was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

A jury in December found Darnell Cheatham, 23, guilty of first-degree felony murder, arson, child abuse and other charges in the July 2011 death of Mariah Smith. 

An earlier jury deadlocked in July. 

Wayne County Circuit Judge Ulysses Boykin on Tuesday gave him the mandatory sentence under Michigan law. 

"My daughter is dead at 5 years old," Konesha Smith told the judge before the sentencing. "She couldn't enjoy her life. She couldn't see her little brothers and sisters anymore. It hurt me so bad that I trusted him around my kids and this is the way he did me." More

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