A 73-year-old Warren man who admitted to smothering his wife of more than 40 years with a pillow was sentenced Tuesday to 5 to 25 years in prison, after prosecutors dismissed the first-degree premeditated murder charge that once carried a mandatory life sentence. James Hentges received credit for 787 days already served in the Macomb County jail, following his no-contest plea to second-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Cheryl Hentges, who was 70 years old.
A Marriage of Four Decades Ends in Violence
The couple, both retired, had been married for more than 40 years and lived in the 24000 block of Loretta Avenue near Stephens and Ryan roads in Warren, according to WDIV ClickOnDetroit. Hentges called 911 on July 13, 2024, and told dispatchers he had killed his wife inside their home several hours earlier, before attempting suicide by overdose and slitting his wrists, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. Officers responding to the scene found Cheryl Hentges' body on a bed and found James Hentges with bandaged wrists consistent with a suicide attempt.
Warren Fire Department personnel transported Hentges to an area hospital for medical evaluation before he was booked into the department jail, per the same account. Police took him into custody without force or incident, and the department later said Hentges was cooperative with officers and admitted his direct involvement in his wife's murder. Prosecutors' office records indicate Hentges used a razor blade to cut his wrists during the attempted suicide.
No History of Domestic Violence Calls
Warren Police said the couple had no prior domestic incidents at their home, and that Hentges had no prior criminal convictions. Authorities had no known motive at the time of the slaying, and none has since been disclosed. Warren Police Detective Nicholas Lienemann publicly described the fatal smothering as “the worst possible outcome of any domestic violence incident,” according to FOX 2 Detroit.
Hentges was arraigned on July 16, 2024, in Warren's 37th District Court before Chief Judge John Chmura on the original first-degree premeditated murder charge, and bond was denied, according to a press release from the City of Warren. In Michigan, felony homicide cases begin with district court arraignments and preliminary exams before being bound over to county circuit court for trial or sentencing, per the Neumann Law Group.
Plea Deal Cuts Potential Sentence Dramatically
Hentges pleaded no contest to second-degree murder on June 29, 2026, in Macomb County Circuit Court. At sentencing on Monday, prosecutors dismissed the first-degree premeditated murder charge, which under Michigan law would have carried a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Second-degree murder, by contrast, carries a penalty of life imprisonment or any term of years at the court's discretion under state law, which allowed the judge to impose the 5-to-25-year term.
Following Hentges' arrest in July 2024, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the case had left a family shattered and a community in mourning as his office pursued justice, according to True Crime News. Lucido has since become a recurring voice on domestic violence in the area; in January, he publicly urged heightened domestic violence awareness following another Warren spousal homicide case that Hoodline previously reported.
Remembering Cheryl Hentges
Cheryl Turnquist Hentges was born on July 10, 1954, in Detroit to David and Betty Turnquist, and died three days after her 70th birthday, according to an obituary published on Legacy.com. She was survived by two daughters and two granddaughters, along with two brothers. Her obituary described her as a loving wife, mother, and grandmother with wit and humor that filled a room, who enjoyed spending time with close family, cooking, baking, reading, and gardening — and who was, notably, an excellent driver.
