JOSEPH GARY RANDALL - 17 yo (2010) - Clinton MI

by TomTerrific0420 Thu Feb 18, 2010 2:14 pm

Clinton Township --
The family of a 17-year-old allegedly shot and killed by his
great-uncle over the weekend is still trying to make sense of his death.
"I don't have any idea," said Kelly Mullins, 29, of Harrison Township, sobbing.
"I don't know why he did it.""We still love you Uncle Carl, but we're upset
and we're very confused," she added. "And we're mad."Mullins'
uncle, Carl Edward Cleavenger, 47, of Clinton Township is accused of
killing Joseph Gary Randall, 17. Authorities say Cleavenger, Randall's
great uncle, shot the teen Saturday evening after an argument.Cleavenger
was formally charged earlier today for the crime in 41-B District Court
in Clinton Township. Mullins and Cheryl Randall, the teens' grandmother
and Cleavenger's sister, were among Cleavenger's family members present
at the court today."My
brother will have to live with this for the rest of his life," said
Cheryl Randall, 54, of Washington Township, choking back tears.
Mullins and Randall made the remarks after Cleavenger's arraignment.Clinton
Township Police and the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office charged
Cleavenger with second-degree murder and felony firearm possession. If
convicted, he faces up to life in prison for the murder charge.District
court magistrate Daniel Goulette set bond for Cleavenger at $500,000
and set a preliminary examination hearing for March 1.Dressed
in a white jump suit and holding a pair of eyeglasses in his hands,
Cleavenger was arraigned in the court via video conference.At
one point during the proceedings, he told the magistrate that he had a
hearing problem and had trouble understanding the charges against him
being read aloud.He
also told the court that he was currently on a disability leave from
his job and would like to have an attorney appointed by the court to
represent him.Police
arrested Cleavenger on Saturday evening after responding to a 911 call
from his home. Officials said Cleavenger made the 911 call.Cleavenger
shared the home with his grandmother and his nephew, Joe Randall.
Cleavenger was Randall's legal guardian and has had custody of him for
11 years, police said.Police found both Cleavenger and Joe Randall at the house,
located on Clayton Street near Hayes and 18 Mile in Clinton Township.
Upon arriving at the home, they discovered the teen had been shot twice in the abdomen,
officials said.Investigators also found a .22-caliber handgun that they say was used in the shooting."(Cleavenger)
wasn't ever a mean man," Mullins said. "I don't know what was happening
in his mind, but he shouldn't have done it. He was trying to raise a
teenager, which everyone knows is hard."Visitation
for Randall will be held 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday and 2-9 p.m. Thursday at
Resurrection Funeral Home, 40800 Hayes in Clinton Township.
A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Mirage Banquet Center, 16980 18 Mile east of Garfield in Clinton Township.

by MililaniGirl Tue Apr 26, 2011 8:52 pm

12 years for Clinton Township man who killed great-nephew
Published: Tuesday, December 21, 2010

By Jameson Cook, Macomb Daily Staff Writer

A 48-year-old Clinton Township man who pleaded no contest in the shooting death of his great nephew was ordered this morning to spend 12 years in prison, his expected sentence.

Carl E. Cleavenger, who was in custody, was sentenced to 10 years for second-degree murder and two years for a felony firearm charge by Judge David Viviano in Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens for the Feb. 23 slaying of Joe Randall, 17, in his Clinton Township home.

The sentence conformed to his original sentencing deal that was subject of some doubt earlier this month when a probation official estimated his sentencing range should be higher. But officials determined that a 19-year-old criminal conviction should not be scored in the guideline formula.

Viviano said he hopes the sentencing will help the family deal with the double tragedy of effectively losing two family members. One is dead and the other is his convicted killer.

“It is my hope that the family will have closure and have a chance to heal,” Viviano said from the bench.

But the sentencing won’t heal the mixed emotions evoked for Randall’s aunt, Kelly Mullins, who is Cleavenger’s niece, and his aunt, Cheryl Randall, who is Cleavenger’s sister, both of whom attended. Mullins, 30, of Harrison Township, said she loved both of them and can’t get over what happened.

“I don’t think we’ll ever have closure,” a tearful Mullins said outside court. “We’ll never hear Joe’s side. … We’ll never know exactly what happened.”

Cleavenger was Joe Randall’s legal guardian for about nine years. Police say Cleavenger shot Randall twice in the stomach in the basement of their Clayton Street home in apparent frustration over Randall talking back to him and ignoring curfew. Randall had dropped out of Chippewa Valley High School, saying he wanted to care for his sick 81-year-old great-grandmother and that he could earn an online degree.

Cleavenger, an Army veteran, has had some mental and physical health issues in recent years, and was on disability.

Mullins said she thinks Cleavenger may have been afraid of his great-nephew.

“My uncle was a victim in this,” she said. “I think he was very scared. My nephew had beaten up my uncle before, but that doesn’t give him the right to do what he did.”

She said she doesn’t like the fact that Cleavenger is labeled as a “murderer.”

“He’s not a monster,” she said.

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/12/21/news/doc4d10e2cfbad38667563461.txt?viewmode=fullstory

JOSEPH GARY RANDALL - 17 yo (2010) - Clinton MI

JOSEPH GARY RANDALL - 17 yo (2010) - Clinton MI

Re: JOSEPH GARY RANDALL - 17 yo (2010) - Clinton MI