A Michigan jury has delivered a guilty verdict against 45-year-old Gregory Michael Sanders for the 2022 killing of Dominique Hawn. On April 15, Sanders was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, and torture.
The conviction ensures he will spend the remainder of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The case dates back to early January 2022. On Jan. 8, local police responded to reports of gunfire and a man barricaded inside a residence.
What followed was a 10-hour standoff.
According to WLNS, Sanders repeatedly fired a weapon from various points inside the house and ignored police commands to disarm. The situation ended only when Sanders surrendered to authorities.
Upon entering the home, investigators discovered the body of 28-year-old Dominique Hawn in the basement. The details of the scene were harrowing; Hawn had been stabbed over 200 times and suffered a facial wound stretching from ear to ear. Her body was found concealed behind a marijuana plant and covered by a shower curtain. Forensic evidence suggested she had been dead since Jan. 5.
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During the trial, the prosecution presented digital evidence recovered from Sanders’ own cell phone. Sanders had recorded portions of the fatal encounter. In the footage played for the jury, Sanders accused Hawn of working with federal authorities to set him up.
The recordings captured Sanders threatening to shoot Hawn in the eye while she begged for her life.
While the defense argued that Sanders was legally insane at the time of the killing, the jury ultimately rejected that claim. Assistant Ingham County Prosecutor Sarah Pulda characterized the crime as a theft of potential, stating, “[Hawn’s] life was violently stolen from her in the grimy bathroom of a flophouse when she was 28 years old.”
Hawn’s family remembered her as a woman of immense warmth. Her obituary described her as a “beautiful soul” who “could light up a room with that smile and laughter,” noting that she often prioritized helping others even when she was struggling herself.
Sanders is officially scheduled for sentencing on May 27.
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