Teen: I was tricked by cops

Remember this case:
Registered sex offender thrill killing.
But judge rules statements about man's slaying were obtained legally
2-16-2008 Michigan:

DETROIT -- A teen accused of helping kill, behead and burn a man whose head was found floating in the Rouge River testified Friday that police intimidated and tricked him over three days of interrogation before he confessed to helping clean up the crime.

But Wayne County Circuit Judge Annette Jurkiewicz Berry on Friday ruled officers did nothing improper and that statements were obtained legally from Alexander Letkemann because the 18-year-old himself explains in one police video recording that he understands his rights and wasn't required to even talk to them. She dismissed his attorneys' attempts to toss out the statements.

"He looked clear and coherent to this court," Berry said. "He looked like he wanted to share this information. He looked like he wanted to clear his chest."

The Westland teen faces life in prison on murder charges, along with Jean Pierre "JP" Orlewicz, 17, of Plymouth Township, for the Nov. 7 stabbing of Daniel Sorenson, 26, of River Rouge. The case got national attention when Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced charges on Nov. 12 against the pair, saying the motivation was a "thrill killing." In the statements prosecutors will present as evidence at a trial set to begin April 7, Letkemann said Orlewicz promised to forgive a $100 debt in exchange for help after the murder in a Canton Township garage. Letkemann said he never understood Orlewicz's motive, other than a desire to kill.

Letkemann claimed Friday police kept him in a cold jail cell, deprived him of sleep and tricked him into confessing how he agreed to help Orlewicz lure Sorenson into a garage in Canton Township where tarps had been spread on the floor and cleaning products were ready for afterward.

Prosecutors detailed in public for the first time Friday how they said Letkemann lied when police first questioned him a day after Sorenson's body was discovered in a Northville Township vacant lot.

Township Police released him after Letkemann signed a written statement saying he was called to the garage after the killing to help lift the body. Hours later, Letkemann returned to police with a friend to give more information. That led to his arrest and more hours of questioning from detectives in nearby Canton.

"He said he was sorry he didn't tell the truth," Canton Township Police Detective Michael Sekel testified on Friday.

In one statement secretly videorecorded in Canton Township, Letkemann told officers he was shocked when Orlewicz jumped Sorenson from behind and slit his throat.

"Dan asked something like, 'Why?' He was like whispering something," Letkemann said in a recording played Friday in court. "JP said, 'I know man. Just let it take over. Let it take over.' "

Letkemann said Orlewicz used a saw to decapitate Sorenson and tried to obliterate other identifying marks with a blowtorch. Letkemann helped lift the heavy man's torso, wrapped in a blue tarp, into the back of a pickup truck. He said the head was taken to the river in Hines Park in a snap-top plastic storage container.

"I was extremely nervous This is a very serious case. Being questioned was uncomfortable for me," Letkemann said Friday.

Sekel testified he lied to Letkemann by pretending Orlewicz had already spoken to police. In truth, Orlewicz still hasn't given any statements. Letkemann said police also played on his sympathy to find where the head was hidden, telling him Sorenson's family just wanted to bury their son whole.

"I was feeling almost sick to my stomach," Letkemann testified Friday. "I couldn't even imagine being in that place (of the Sorenson family). I gave in. I agreed to tell them where the head was."

After Friday's hearing, his father, Peter Letkemann, said his son was "scared to death" when speaking to police.

"Watching those videos you can also see he very obviously wanted to help. The more everyone sees my son, the more they realize he's not a killer."

Misleading witnesses is a common technique by investigators and not illegal, Berry said. ..more.. by Doug Guthrie at (734) 462-2674 or dguthrie@detnews.com.