Man Who Killed 5-Year-Old to Avoid Snitching Receives Sentence

More than two years after killing a family in Detroit, including a 5-year-old son, a man will find out his sentence on Thursday.

In February 2022, Malcolm Ray Hardy entered a guilty plea to three charges of second-degree murder for the deaths of Aaron Benson, LaShon Marshall, and her son Caleb Harris.

In prior court testimony, Hardy—who was sixteen at the time—as well as a few companions performed various tasks for Benson, including transporting marijuana.

According to a buddy who testified, he was with Hardy and his twin brother the night of the murder when they departed. Hardy had a gun that belonged to Benson when they got back.

A witness said in court on Thursday that 5-year-old Caleb Harris was shot and killed inside his home after his mother and her boyfriend were slain because the suspect believed the little child was “going to snitch.”

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According to that friend, Hardy shot Benson after claiming that the latter had grabbed his shirt and attempted to hit him. Hardy then took Benson’s revolver.

He continued by saying that he accidentally shot his girlfriend in the butt before shooting her in the head, killing her. The third person in the residence was a child named Caleb, who Hardy apparently said was “going to snitch on him,” so he killed him as well.

There were twenty-two rounds fired. Marshall was shot four times, while Caleb and Benson were both shot nine times.

Judge Kenneth King stated in a 2022 hearing that Hardy’s account of shooting Benson in self-defense had inconsistencies. He claimed that Hardy had time to think back on his acts in between the shootings, which demonstrated his intention to commit murder.

Hardy’s case was destined for trial prior to his guilty plea.

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