A Farmington Hills teenager is now locked into a Detroit murder trial date, nearly two years after a shooting in the city’s Hawthorne Park neighborhood left a 23-year-old woman dead.
Brandon Butler, 19, is scheduled to go before a jury on April 20 in Wayne County Circuit Court on a charge of first-degree premeditated homicide in the July 13, 2024, killing of 23-year-old Tavita Hunter. Butler, who was 17 at the time of the shooting and is being tried as an adult, remains in custody on a $200,000 bond. The shooting happened near Cardoni and Robinwood streets on Detroit’s east side.
According to a press release from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Butler faces counts of first-degree premeditated murder and felony firearm after Detroit police found Hunter with a gunshot wound to the back and pronounced her dead at the scene on July 13, 2024. As reported by The Oakland Press, Judge Kelly Ramsey is slated to preside when the case reaches circuit court on April 20, 2026. Prosecutors allege Butler ran from the area after the shooting, according to the same prosecutor’s release.
Court calendar
Butler was arraigned in August 2024, when local coverage detailed a bond package that included a $200,000 cash or surety requirement and a GPS tether with house-arrest conditions for a period of time. ClickOnDetroit covered the original charging and arraignment.
With the April 2026 trial date now locked in, the case moves into the slower, less flashy phase of criminal litigation: discovery disputes, motion practice and pretrial scheduling that will set the stage for jury selection.
Legal context
Prosecutors chose to waive Butler into adult court, a decision the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said was warranted based on the nature of the allegations and Butler’s age at the time of the shooting. The office also emphasized that the charges remain allegations and that Butler is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
If the case reaches trial, both sides are expected to press hard on pretrial issues that could determine what jurors ultimately hear and see, from witness testimony to physical evidence.
What to watch
The April 20, 2026, trial date is shaping up to be a pivotal day for Hunter’s family and for residents in Farmington Hills and Detroit who have followed the case. Court records and scheduling entries are expected to keep updating in the lead-up to that week.
According to CBS Detroit, investigators initially asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact Detroit police during the early stages of the case.
