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Witness says man was stabbed during fight

Witness says man was stabbed during fight image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
April
Year
1992
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Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Witness says man was stabbed during fight

By WILL STEWART
NEWS STAFF REPORTER

YPSILANTI - It started when 16-year-old Bosie Smith scuffed Keith Smith’s shoes during the afternoon of April 13.

It ended several hours later when Bosie Smith stabbed 24-year-old Kenneth Campbell to death while the two scuffled about the incident.

So testified Keith Smith during a preliminary examination to determine whether Bosie Lee Smith will face a murder trial in the stabbing death of Campbell last month.

Keith Smith said he watched from the front porch of the house at 660 Grassland while Bosie Smith stabbed Campbell with what he said looked like a butcher knife.

“Bosie stabbed him in the upper left chest - once was all I seen,” said Keith Smith, who is no relation to Bosie Smith.

Keith Smith was the only witness to testify during Tuesday’s preliminary examination before 14A District Judge Karl V. Fink. The exam will be continued May 13, because all of the prosecution’s witnesses were not present for Tuesday’s hearing.

Keith Smith said the incident started when both he and Bosie Smith were at the Grassland house on Ypsilanti’s South Side with several other people. He said Bosie Smith purposefully scuffed his shoes, seemingly to see whether Keith Smith would retaliate against him.

“He didn’t know me and I thought he was sort of, you know, challenging me,” Keith Smith said.

He said he chose not to retaliate, but when Bosie Smith returned at about 10 p.m. that night, he and Campbell got into a fight in the basement of the house.

"Ken was mad about when Bosie kicked my shoe and the two tangled in the basement,” he said.

Bosie Smith left the house, only to return a few minutes later, Keith Smith said. He said Bosie Smith stood on the sidewalk and challenged Campbell to come out and fight him again.

“Ken didn’t want to go, but then he did,” he said. “The two started fighting and then I saw the knife and Bosie stabbed him.”

During Smith’s testimony, Bosie Smith sat silently, occasionally shaking his head as if to dispute the witness’ claims. The small 16-year-old has a long history of run-ins with Ypsilanti police. “We’ve had many, many contacts with him,” said Detective Sgt. Ron Koehler.

Assistant Prosecutor Steve Hiller said Tuesday that the decision to try Smith as an adult was made by Prosecutor William Delhey and was based on the youth’s criminal background and the severity of the crime he’s charged with.

Once a youth turns 15, he can be tried as an adult for certain serious crimes, including murder, rape and armed robbery.