The Death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones: No Justice, No Apology

On May 16, 2010, a reality TV show called The First 48, which documents homicide investigations and police raids, was filming in Detroit. That night, the show’s camera crew accompanied the Detroit Police Department’s Special Response Team as they arrived at the home of the Jones family. Inside the home were 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who was asleep on the couch, and her grandmother, Mertilla Jones. It was late at night, and the police were executing a search warrant for the arrest of Chauncey Owens, 

a prime suspect in the murder of 17-year-old Je’Rean Blake-Nobles, who had been fatally shot outside a liquor store. 

An informant had provided Owens’ address, which led officers to the Jones residence.

As The First 48 cameras rolled, police broke down the front door and threw a flash-bang grenade into the home. The blinding flash and deafening noise caused immediate chaos. Mertilla dropped to the ground and pleaded with officers not to use such excessive force, warning that her granddaughter was inside. As she lay on the floor with guns pointed at her, she noticed Aiyana’s blanket had caught fire. When she tried to put the flames out, she made a horrifying discovery — Aiyana was bleeding from the mouth.

Officer Joseph Weekley had entered the home with his MP5 submachine gun and fired a single shot. The bullet struck Aiyana in the head and exited through her neck. She was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.

Mertilla was taken into custody after Weekley claimed she had attempted to grab his gun, causing it to fire. She was released the next day, still wearing her blood-stained clothes. The First 48 crew had captured the entire raid on film. Police later confirmed they were targeting Aiyana’s uncle, who lived in the upstairs unit. They had entered the wrong home. 

Aiyana’s funeral drew hundreds of mourners, many of whom wore pink — her favorite color. Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a passionate eulogy:

“Do they throw these flash grenades in everybody’s neighborhoods? Would you have gone into Bloomfield Hills and done what you did? I’m disgusted when I look at a 7-year-old baby in a casket. Instead of turning to each other, we name-call, ego-trip, and try to jump in front of a camera, rather than stand up and say, ‘Enough is Enough.’” 

The Jones family filed a lawsuit against the Detroit Police Department, alleging excessive force, violation of civil rights, negligence, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress, and a conspiracy to cover up the shooting. The families attorney would make a public statement 

“This type of activity by a police force is unacceptable in America. What is equally unacceptable is the cover-up that has occurred since the time of Aiyana’s passing.”

On May 20, 2010, Chauncey Owens was convicted of murdering Je’Rean Blake-Nobles and sentenced to life in prison. Charles Jones, Aiyana’s father, was also charged — accused of supplying Owens with the murder weapon. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40–60 years. After entering a nolo contendere plea, his sentence was reduced to 10–20 years. He was granted parole in 2021.

On October 4, 2011, Officer Weekley and First 48 producer Allison Howard were arraigned. Weekley was placed on paid leave. He pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment with a firearm, claiming he didn’t know children were inside the home and saw no signs like toys.He testified that he had his hand on the gun when he saw Mertilla moving toward him and accidentally pulled the trigger. After firing, he noticed a pile of clothes and didn’t realize someone was underneath until he heard a moan coming from it. When he removed the clothes, he discovered the body of Aiyana.

Allison Howard was accused of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying under oath. She pled guilty and was sentenced to 18–24 months of probation, fined $2,000, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service in Massachusetts.

Weekley’s first trial ended in a hung jury, resulting in a mistrial. A second trial began in 2013. During the second trial, Mertilla took the stand. In her emotional testimony, she denied ever touching Weekley’s gun and said tearfully 

“I’m lying there screaming, asking someone to help my granddaughter because he shot her in the head And he wouldn’t even help her. They turned on the lights and saw that she had been shot.” 

As she was escorted out of the courtroom, Mertilla passed by Weekley and cried out 

“She was only a baby, man. She was sleeping, and I told y’all, ‘Let me get to my granddaughter,’ and you didn’t give me a chance. Why did you do this to me? I get no sleep. I am sick as hell. The flashbacks — I wouldn’t wish this on anybody in the world. Not even you.”

Weekley’s attorney asked the judge to declare a mistrial, arguing

 “Ms. Jones needs to learn that her actions have consequences. You can’t come here, act like a fool, and try to intentionally create a situation where this man can’t get a fair trial.” 

The jury, however, stated they could remain impartial.

Mark Robinson, Mertilla’s nephew, testified that he was outside putting his dogs away when police arrived. He shouted to officers:

 “There are kids in the house! There are kids in the house!”

 Another officer, Shawn Stallard, who entered behind Weekley, testified that he did not see Mertilla attempt to take Weekley’s gun. At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Cynthia Hathaway dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge, saying

“There is no evidence, in this court’s opinion, that supports willfully disregarding the results to others.I’m going to err on the side of the defense and grant the motion to dismiss Count 4.”

 On October 10, she declared another mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. On January 30, Judge Hathaway ruled that there would be no third trial, stating

 “If someone needs a scapegoat for what is happening here today — and what is happening here is justice — then put it on me.”

All remaining charges against Weekley were dropped. Aiyana’s family, who were present in the courtroom, broke down in tears after the verdict was reached. Both the family and the community were heartbroken that Weekley was allowed to walk free and devastated that Aiyana did not receive the justice she deserved.

A family spokesperson, Ron Scott, spoke on behalf of the family in an interview, saying,

 ‘They never said they believed the officer acted intentionally. They said they would have been satisfied with an apology. But they never received one. Instead, they’ve been treated as if they’re something other than victims — like they were just a bunch of criminals who were over there waiting for this to happen. And that is not true.’”

Although a civil trial was scheduled, it never moved forward. The City of Detroit reached a settlement with Aiyana’s family, awarding them $8.6 million in damages. In April 2015, Joseph Weekley returned to the Detroit Police Department and began working in the Criminal Investigations Bureau. In 2016, he was appointed co-chair of the Detroit Police Committee on Race and Equality. The footage taken on the day of the failed police raid was never publicly released; only selected clips were shown in the courtroom.

 As for Allison Howard, the former producer of The First 48, she was present during the raid that claimed Aiyana Stanley-Jones’ life. She later lied under oath about whether she had copied, shared, or provided the footage to third parties — information that was directly relevant to the investigation. Howard, who now resides in New York, regularly shares her photography online. In her portfolio, she reflects on the moment she reviewed the footage of the raid with a trusted friend, stating she was horrified to realize she had captured the death of Aiyana.

According to her account, Her friend’s roommate secretly made a copy of the footage and passed it to the attorney representing Aiyana’s family, who used it as the foundation for a lawsuit against the city. A months-long investigation into the origins of the so-called ‘mystery tape’ followed. When the individuals responsible were caught, they falsely claimed that Allison had sold them the footage. As a result, Howard was charged with obstruction of justice and perjury. She later accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to probation.

After the mistrial, protests erupted throughout Detroit. Demonstrators chanted “Justice for Aiyana!” In 2016, on what would have been Aiyana’s 14th birthday, the Black Lives Matter movement held a rally in her memory. Activists chained themselves to the doors of the police department. Mertilla Jones addressed the crowd with a message of urgency

 “Accountability needs to be expected from cases like this. Cops can’t keep killing people and getting away with it.”

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