The third suspect in the homicide of University of Michigan medical student Paul DeWolf was out of jail on bond at the time of DeWolf’s death after being charged in a May home invasion, according to officials and records.

Dajeon Franklin

Dajeon Lavelle Franklin, 21, was arraigned on May 16 for an Ann Arbor home invasion allegedly committed on May 4, according to court records. While in court on a bond violation Wednesday, Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Dianna Collins indicated he is a suspect in a homicide in Ann Arbor.

Walter White, Franklin’s attorney, said outside the courtroom he’s been told Franklin is a suspect in a July 23 homicide in Ann Arbor. DeWolf was found dead in his apartment in the Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity, 220 N. Ingalls St., the next day.

“I have no reason to believe he’s not completely innocent,” White said Wednesday.

Franklin was the final suspect to be named in connection with DeWolf’s death. Media outlets have reported South Carolina men Shaquille Jones, 20, and Joei Jordan, 21, are the other two suspects. Franklin's address was not immediately clear, but his Facebook page indicated he previously studied at Ypsilanti High School and Pioneer High School. His current city was listed as Ypsilanti.

Franklin was arraigned on May 16 at the Washtenaw County Jail on a 10 percent of $2,000 bond. He faced a charge of second-degree home invasion and two counts of stealing a financial transaction device, according to court records.

Shaquille Jones

He was back in custody on Wednesday in Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Archie Brown’s courtroom. He pleaded guilty to testing positive for opiates on Sept. 11 and missing an appointment with Community Corrections.

He’s had four contacts with Community Corrections since he was arraigned, officials said.

Brown sent him to the Washtenaw County Jail for the bond violations. Franklin is scheduled to be back in court Nov. 20 for a final pretrial hearing in that case.

Joei Jordan

Members of Franklin’s family declined comment outside the courtroom Wednesday

White said Franklin had met Jones and Jordan “once or twice” previously. He said DeWolf’s name has not been said explicitly to him by officials, but said the July 23 homicide is being investigated by the Ann Arbor Police Department.

DeWolf’s homicide death, discovered on July 24, is the only homicide death in Ann Arbor in 2013.

White said he didn’t know if Franklin was connected to another home invasion reported on the evening of July 23 in the 200 block of North Ingalls Street.

White said he didn’t have any more information beyond what Collins said in the hearing on Wednesday.

“I really don’t have any more information beyond what you heard on the record,” White told reporters.

Ann Arbor police announced on Nov. 7 three people had been arrested in connection with DeWolf’s death, more than three months after the investigation began. Police officials and Washtenaw County prosecutors have declined to confirm or deny the names of any suspects in the case.

No one has been formally charged in the case.

Jones and Jordan both need to be extradited from South Carolina before they're arraigned. Franklin has not been arraigned on any charges in connection to DeWolf's death.



Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.