On December 26, 2007 Rose Cobb was brutally gunned down while she sat in the family van in the parking lot of a Detroit CVS store...while her husband [Officer David Cobb, Detroit PD], was inside the store. Officer David Cobb was immediately suspected in Rose's murder. Police uncovered that Officer Cobb had hired hitman Vincent Smothers to kill Rose.
Rose Cobb
Letter Officer David Cobb read at Rose's funeral
Letter Officer David Cobb read at Rose's funeral
Scene of Rose Cobb's murder [December 26, 2007]
Scene of Rose Cobb's murder [December 26, 2007]
A neighbor of Rose's said that she was "a very nice lady...very compassionate..."
Days after Rose was viciously gunned down, Rose's family and father gathered at a candlelight vigil on a cold winter night - in the CVS parking lot where Rose had been murdered. Rose's husband/Officer David Cobb was not present at the vigil.
"She didn't deserve to die like this...."
Candlelight vigil held for Rose, by family and friends [January 2008]
Officer David Cobb - Arrested in April 2008, along with Vincent Smothers and Marzell Black for the murder of Rose Cobb. Two days after his arrest, Cobb was released from jail - the Wayne County Prosecutors refused to issue a warrant against Cobb for the murder of Rose Cobb.
Police took the suspected hitman in Rose's murder, Vincent Smothers, into custody on April 19, 2008.
Marzell Black, charged with Rose Cobb's murder
Vincent Smothers, Charged with Rose Cobb's murder
Vincent Smothers was arrested for being the hitman who Officer Cobb hired to murder Rose
Police suspect Vincent Smothers not only in the murder of Rose Cobb...But the police also suspect Vincent Smothers in eight other murders....And, possibly the murder of Tamara Greene.
Officer David Cobb arrested in connection with the murder of his wife, Rose
April 20, 2008
Video from: Cloudwriter / Behind The Blue Wall
April 20, 2008 - Officer David Cobb arrested in connection with the murder of his wife, Rose
Arrest of Officer Cobb and hitman Vincent Smothers in connection to Rose Cobb's murder
Officer David Cobb was taken into police custody for the murder of Rose on April 20, 2008. Police suspect that Cobb hired hitman Vincent Smothers to kill Rose.
Vincent Smothers [hitman hired by Cobb to murder Rose] was arrested in Shelby Township.
Officer David Cobb was arrested at his home on the morning of April 20, 2008, for the murder of his wife, Rose.
April 2008 - Officer Cobb is accused of hiring a hitman [Vincent Smothers], to kill Rose [December 26, 2007]
Hitman Vincent Smothers charged an average of $1500 per 'hit'.
A neighbor of Rose's expressed her shock at Officer Cobb having hired a hitman to murder Rose
Vincent Smothers, 27, attends his arraignment in district court in Detroit on April 21
In this April 21, 2008 file photo, Vincent Smothers attends his arraignment in Detroit's 36th District Court.
Vincent Smothers, 28, allegedly told investigators he is responsible for eight contract killings in less than two years.
Officer Cobb released after arrest
Click On Detroit
Channel 4
April 22, 2008
Police are continuing their investigation into Officer David Cobb's connection to Rose's murder
Officer Cobb was released after his arrest, as there was not sufficient evidence to charge him in connection to Rose's murder
However, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office had sufficient evidence to charge hitman Vincent Smothers in connection with Rose's murder
After Rose's murder, the Detroit Police Commission had suspended with pay. After Cobb's arrest, the Commission changed Cobb's suspension to UNPAID.
Officer Cobb's attorney [Fred Walker] argued with the Commission that Cobb had not been charged in connection to the murder, and thus his pay status during his suspension should not be changed from 'paid' to 'unpaid'.
The Detroit Police Chief and the Commission ruled to change Officer Cobb's suspension to UNPAID during the investigation of Rose's murder.
Sheryl Gary of Detroit, with daughter Elizabeth Haywood, said Wednesday she is baffled by the murder of her sister, Rose Cobb. (Ricardo Thomas / The Detroit News - 04242008)
Marzell Black and Vincent Smothers - Murder charges for death of Rose Cobb
Detroit Police Officer David Cobb, who had hired a hitman to kill his wife Rose Cobb, was found hanged September 26, 2008
October 05, 2008 - Rose's family:
Taneeka Gary, 35, of Detroit, left, and her aunt, Elizabeth Haygood, 50, also of Detroit, at their grandmother's home in Detroit on Oct. 16. They talked about the suicide of David Cobb, who they feel is responsible for the death of their sister and aunt Rose Cobb.
October 05, 2008 - Rose's family:
Displaying a photo of the late Rose Cobb are her family members, clockwise from left, Adrian Gary, 34; Taneeka Gary, 35; Sheryl Gary, 54, and Elizabeth Haygood, 50, all of Detroit. They believe her husband's family is in denial over his role in her killing.
October 05, 2008 - Rose's family:
Funeral programs for Rose Cobb, left, and David Cobb mark the end of a love gone wrong. Law enforcement sources say he masterminded her slaying -- and was about to be charged when he committed suicide.
Defense claims Vincent Smothers was coerced into confessing to Rose Cobb's and 8 other murders
June 19, 2009
June 19, 2009
After his arrest in April 2008, Vincent Smothers confessed to police that he was a hired hitman. He signed a confession stating that he had killed Rose Cobb and eight others.
Smothers' defense attorney [Gabi Silver] argued in a recent hearing that he had been coerced into confessing to the murders.
The defense claimed that the police had threatened to arrest and charge Smothers' wife as an accomplice in the murders, if he did not confess to the murders...
...that Smothers had signed the confession after hours of interrogation...
...and while under duress.
Smothers and his defense attorney were thus requesting that the Court throw out his confession to the police from April 2008.
In the confession that Smothers now wanted thrown out, was his admission that he had been hired by Officer Cobb to kill Rose....And that Cobb had given him $50 towards the contract before he killed Rose.
Smothers also claimed in the confession that Rose Cobb was the only murder that he had committed that did not involve a drug dealer.
Police officers testified at the hearing that Smothers had not been coerced into confessing / signing the confession to the murder of Rose Cobb and eight others.
Police officers testified at the hearing that Smothers had not been coerced into confessing / signing the confession to the murder of Rose Cobb and eight others.
Police officers testified at the hearing that Smothers had not been coerced into confessing / signing the confession to the murder of Rose Cobb and eight others.
Rose's family members were present at murder case hearing. It has been almost 2 years since Rose's murder and her family is determined to obtain justice for her.
Vincent Smothers: Filed Motion To Suppress Confession
Michigan Court Of Appeals
December 09, 2009
Vincent Smothers: Motion To Suppress Confession
MI Court Of Appeals Order: Leave To Appeal Denied
Michigan Court Of Appeals
February 08, 2010
April 2010 - Rose's family:
28 months after Rose's murder; and 2 years after the arrests of Officer Cobb, Marzell Black, and Vincent Smothers.
ROSE'S FAMILY'S REQUEST: A TRIAL FOR THE MEN WHO MURDERED THEIR BELOVED ROSE.
Detroit Hitman Vincent Smothers Pleads Guilty to 8 Murders
June 07, 2010
FOX 2 NEWS
June 07, 2010
FOX 2 NEWS
In a plea agreement, Vincent Smothers pled guilty to eight counts of second degree murder. Rose Cobb was one of the victims.
Rose Cobb. Murdered December 26, 2007, by hitman Vincent Smothers...who had been hired by her husband, Officer David Cobb.
Officer David Cobb was immediately considered 'a person of interest' following the murder of his wife, Rose. Cobb was arrested in April 2008 [along with Smothers], but there was not enough evidence to charge him with Rose's murder. Cobb was released, and in September 2008, he committed suicide.
Investigators believe that Officer Cobb's motive in murdering his wife was money from her life insurance policy.
Vincent Smothers was arrested in April 2008. He soon confessed to police that he was a hitman who had been hired by Officer Cobb to kill Rose.
"....Sometimes you just feel like you're all cried out..." [Cheryl Gary. Rose's sister]. Tameka Gary, Rose's niece [left]; Adrian Gary, Rose's niece [center] and Cheryl Gary [right] talk with FOX 2 News reporter.
"If I had to blame someone it would be David Cobb...Her husband. He iniated it. Mr. Smothers would never have known my Aunt, if it wasn't for her husband...We did have some closure, but what grieves my heart is that we still don't know the why..."
"$50 was all her life was worth to him. That's pathetic. That shows what type of person he was. He's a coward..."
"...A form of closure. He [Officer Cobb] was supposed to protect her. He did none of that and plus he was a cop. It was his job to protect and serve. He couldn't even do that for his own wife...Sometimes you feel like you're all cried out. You just want to go on and see something concrete done and this was it today...."
Under the plea agreement, Smothers will remain locked up until at least 2060
Channel 7 News, Detroit
July 23, 2010
There was a delay in Smothers' sentencing hearing. Smothers' had managed to get a cell phone into his jail cell, and the eight floor of the Courthouse was on lockdown.
Smothers' family said that Vincent was a good kid when he was growing up. He changed after his 15 year-old sister was gunned down in their driveway.
Smothers' sentencing is of importance to Davontae Stanford. Davontae [who is mentally handicapped] pled guilty to taking part in a drug house hit. Smothers claims that he and another accomplice did that hit....not Standford.
One of the murders that Smothers is pleading to, is that of Rose...A hit that was order by her husband, Officer David Cobb [12/26/2007].
MLive
July 23, 2010
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/07/detroit_hit_man_vincent_smothe_2.html
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/07/detroit_hit_man_vincent_smothe_2.html
Vincent Smothers enters Judge Craig Strong's courtroom in Detroit, Friday, July 23, 2010. Smothers, a Detroit hit man who pleaded guilty to killing eight people returned to court for sentencing.
The 52-year minimum sentence was part of a deal struck in June when Vincent Smothers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
He avoided a mandatory life sentence, but he won't be eligible for parole until he's about 80.
Wayne County Judge Craig Strong read from a pre-sentence report Friday in which Smothers said he had killed more than eight people, but couldn't recall their names.
Smothers told police he was paid $60,000 for a series of killings. His last victim was Rose Cobb, the wife of a Detroit police officer, in 2007.
People who were related to two victims spoke before Smothers got his punishment.
Smothers sentencing hearing. July 23, 2010. Before Judge Craig Strong. 36th District Court. Detroit. Smothers had pled guilty to eight murders [including the murder of Rose Cobbb] in a June 2010 plea agreement.
Monica Cherry. Her husband Clarence was killed by Smothers. She gave a victim impact statement detailing how Smothers' murder of her husband had shattered her life.
Rose's sister Cheryl stressed to Smothers that "peoples' lives are important. Your life is important. You have people in this courtroom today that care about you...."
Judge Strong was concerned that Smothers had confessed to murders that were not part of the plea deal.
The confession detailed a murder of four people on Runion's East Side. Davontae Stanford was in prison for those killings that were committed by Smothers and another person.
Davontae Stanford who is currently in prison for four murders that Smothers confessed to.
Because Davonte Stanford made a written confession, Prosecutor Kim Worthy is fighting efforts by Standford to get a new trial to reverse a wrongful conviction.
"I'm bringing this to your attention because you cannot bring back those you killed. But you can correct wrongs for those who were wrongfully convicted of people that you killed," Judge Strong stated to Smothers.
"If that's a question," Smothers responded to Judge Strong, "The police department knows about any crimes that have been committed."
Smothers was sentenced to 50 - 100 years in prison for eight murders. One of those murders included the contract killing of Rose Cobb that was ordered by her husband, Officer David Cobb
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