2-Year Probation Handed Down Before Murder Trial Opens

A judge handed Scott Harrington a two-year probation sentence Monday, clearing the way for the murder trial of Spencer Krusell to begin the same day. The legal proceedings concern the death of 34-year-old Nicholos Hatcher, who was stabbed to death in May near the intersection of Middlebelt Road and West Chicago Street in Livonia.

Harrington, who was 26 and living in Taylor at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to larceny and receiving and concealing stolen property. Investigators stated that Harrington grabbed Hatcher's backpack and fled. Hatcher, a chef who had just finished a shift, was walking to another job when he stopped at a plasma center and encountered the two men.

Felisha Hatcher, the victim's mother, addressed the courtroom before her son's alleged accomplice was sentenced. She expressed frustration with the outcome, calling the sentence a slap on the wrist. She noted that the prosecutor indicated this was the maximum penalty available under the law.

"I don't want to walk away today feeling like a justice system that says it will protect and serve," Hatcher said. "I want it to do what it says it does."

Immediately following Harrington's sentencing, jury selection concluded and the trial for Spencer Krusell began. Krusell, who was 30 and lived in Highland Park at the time of the incident, is charged with stabbing Hatcher after the victim chased the pair.

Defense attorney Charles Longstreet argued that Krusell acted in self-defense. "Mr. Krusell is going to tell you himself, 'I didn't pull that knife out to stab him. I pulled that knife out to get him to stop him from jumping on me, to stop him from coming forward,'" Longstreet told jurors.

Prosecuting attorney Sara Bonomo countered that while Hatcher became physical, the defendants did not leave the scene. "Nicholos does. He gets physical. He punches them," Bonomo said. "Again, they still don't walk away. So, the argument before you, for you to decide is, is this self-defense? Is this killing justified?" Prosecutors called a Livonia police officer and several witnesses to the stand. Jurors were dismissed for the day and are scheduled to return Tuesday at 9:15 a.m.