The mother of Demetrius Frazier, the Michigan man slated to be put to death next month by nitrogen hypoxia for the 1991 rape and murder of a Birmingham woman, is seeking help from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to stop halt the execution.
After a Monday afternoon press conference, Carol Frazier will deliver her hand-written letter along with thousands of petition signatures urging Whitmer's office to intervene in Alabama's process. She will be joined by friends, family and advocates with Death Penalty Action, the anti-death penalty organization.
Ivey set the time frame of the execution to start at midnight on Thursday, February 6, and expire on Friday, February 7. If successful, Frazier will be the state's first execution of 2025.
According to court records, Demetrius Frazier was in jail on an unrelated charge in Detroit, Mich., in March 1992. While in the custody of the Detroit Police Department, Frazier reportedly confessed to the murder of a woman in Birmingham. A Birmingham detective then traveled to Detroit, where Frazier reportedly again admitted to the murder on tape.
Frazier, 52, was convicted in 1996 of capital murder for the 1991 killing of Pauline Brown. The jury, by a vote of 10-2, recommended the death penalty.
Death penalty execution argues that then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder conducted an unlawful deal with Former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley to extradite Frazier. Last week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel declined to intervene in the case. When asked to invalidate the extradition agreement between Michigan and Alabama, Nessel responded that the state "Takes no position on the imposition of the death penalty in this case."
"Michigan was the first state to legislatively abolish the death penalty, and the state has a constitutional prohibition on executions," said Abraham Bonowitz, executor director of Death Penalty Action. "Human rights norms usually keep counties and states from sending prisoners to places where they face human rights violations, but in Mr. Frazier's case they inexplicably decided to ship him off to Alabama to be killed."
He continued, "Former Governor Snyder abandoned Michigan's ideals and its laws when he chose to make a secret deal to extradite Mr. Frazier to Alabama. This should concern every resident in the state and we're asking that you urge Governor Whitmer to right this wrong and show the nation that Michigan stands by the values expressed in its constitution."
According to Frazier's reported statements, on the night of the murder, he saw a light on in Brown's ground-floor apartment at the Fountain Heights Apartment complex. After finding under $10 in the home, he entered Brown's room, where she slept. After awakening her with a .22 caliber pistol, he demanded more money. After receiving $80 from Brown's purse, things turned for the worse.
"Frazier then forced [Brown] at gunpoint to have sexual intercourse with him," court records state. "While he was raping her, Ms. Brown begged Frazier not to kill her. When Ms. Brown refused to stop begging for her life, Frazier put the pistol to the back of her head and fired the gun. Fearing that someone had heard the gunshot, Frazier left the apartment. He went across the street to see if anyone had heard the shot. Satisfied that no one had heard the shot, he returned to the apartment. He searched the apartment for more money and confirmed that Ms. Brown was dead. He then went to the kitchen, ate two bananas, and left the apartment. He threw the pistol in a ditch."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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