Plainfield Teen Remains Unfit For Trial As CMU Boosts Security

MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN — More than six months after a 19-year-old from Plainfield was accused of shooting both of his parents to death in his Michigan dorm room, he remains unfit for trial, according to his attorney. James Eric Davis Jr., a Plainfield native who attended both Plainfield Central and Plainfield South high schools, is accused in the March 2 murders of his parents, James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Davis.

The younger Davis is accused of using a gun belonging to his police officer father to kill both of his parents, a day after campus police at Central Michigan University reported he was behaving erratically and took him to a local hospital for evaluation.

In late March, an Isabella County judge ruled that Davis Jr. was incompetent to stand trial. According to Central Michigan Life, attorney Mark Kowalczyk said Davis Jr.'s status has not changed, and he is still unfitfor trial. Under Michigan law, defendants found to be incompetent have 15 months to regain competency, although that deadline can be extended, according to CM-Life.

Meanwhile, Central Michigan University just announced that it is enhancing emergency management and campus safety measures in the wake of the Davis murders. A new website focusing on emergency preparedness also recently launched at the campus.

"A tragic domestic violence event that left the parents of a CMU student dead on campus in March of this year ... prompted university officials to take a deep dive into emergency management efforts," the university said in a message posted on its website.

“While the March 2 event was handled extremely well, we received valuable feedback that helped us as we began our assessment of the incident,” said CMU Vice President for Facilities Management Jonathan Webb said in the statement.

Campus safety efforts in the wake of the shooting have included:

• Further access control installation in classrooms and residence halls across campus.
• Reaffirmation of the National Incident Management System as a basis for CMU’s emergency management program. Staff participated in training sessions and tabletop exercises utilizing this system.
• An improved education and training program based on the Department of Homeland Security’s ready.gov platform.

Davis Jr. was apprehended after being spotted by a person on a train after a nearly 16-hour manhunt and lockdown on the campus.

Timeline of the case

The teen has been behaving erratically the night before the killings, according to CMU police, who said officers first encountered a "very frightened" Davis Jr. at around 9:45 p.m. March 1. According to police, the teen told officers he believed someone intended to harm him, describing an encounter he'd had with that person in an elevator and claiming the suspect had a gun. Police said they spoke with the person described by Davis and found no evidence of a weapon. Surveillance footage of the elevator encounter showed Davis Jr. talking and laughing with the person, according to police, and the teen later told police he was OK and intended to go home to Plainfield in the morning.

Hours later, at around 1:15 a.m., a campus officer saw Davis Jr. in the hallway of his dormitory building with his suitcases, as if he were leaving. The officer, knowing Davis Jr. wasn't expected to leave until the morning, asked the teen to call his parents. The campus officer also spoke with Davis' mother, telling her he was concerned that drugs may have been involved in the teen's erratic behavior.

The Plainfield mother reportedly agreed and told police that she and her husband were leaving immediately and driving to Michigan to pick up their son. Davis Jr. was taken to a hospital near campus, but released in the morning just prior to the shooting.

James Davis Sr., 48, a Bellwood police officer, and 47-year-old Diva Davis, a real estate broker, flight attendant and cancer survivor, arrived on campus early March 2 to bring their son home for spring break.

Police said a witness and security video showed the teen walking towards his dorm with a gun. Police believe he then went to his fourth-floor room, where he shot and killed his parents before fleeing.

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Nearly 16 hours later, police received a report that someone on a train had spotted Davis Jr. near railroad tracks on campus. Police responded and took Davis Jr. into custody without incident.

From a Michigan hospital bed, the 19-year-old appeared in court via video camera several days later, when a judge agreed to lower his bond from $3 million to $1.5 million.

The teen was found incompetent to stand trial on March 23. His former attorney told the court Davis Jr. wold be undergoing treatment to help him regain competency.

Photo of James Eric Davis Jr. via Isabella County Sheriff's Office