FLINT, Mich. (AP) - Two families recently came together for the first time in 37 years to plead for answers in the 1978 shooting deaths of two men in Flint.
Charlie DeSpain, 22, and Steve McDonald, 23, were found shot to death in the front seat of a vehicle on April 29, 1978. Since then, the case has remained cold with no arrests or leads.
DeSpain’s younger brother, Danny, and McDonald’s daughter, Erin Iakovides, recently spoke at a Crime Stoppers press conference, The Flint Journal (https://bit.ly/1JVQbeI ) reported.
The two family members described how the slayings have affected their lives over the past several decades.
“I’ve lived my life knowing my dad had died. That’s just how it’s been for as far back as I can remember.” Iakovides said. “The older I got, the more I learned about the circumstances surrounding his death. I could never wrap my head around how someone could kill two people in a car and just leave and continue to live their life like it was nothing.”
Danny DeSpain said his family was devastated by the death of his brother and it hasn’t gotten any easier to cope with over the past 37 years.
Both of the family members also expressed what it would mean to them if the killer was identified.
“My grandparents and one of my dad’s brothers went to their grave not knowing who did this to them.” Iakovides said. “It haunts you. Life goes on and you continue to live your life and grow older, but you want this to be solved. You want to know who did this and if the person who did this is still out there. How unfair that you got to live your life the past 37 years and he did not. Neither one of them did. We had to suffer the consequences of that as well.”
DeSpain said his family also wants to know who killed them men, but there’s also a deep-seated fear that it could be someone he knows.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest.
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Information from: The Flint Journal, https://www.mlive.com/flint
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