3 Michigan men over 60 years old found in blood-soaked basement linked to hammer attack suspect: DA

The bodies of three Michigan men, all over 60, that was found in the basement of a house in southwest Detroit, have been linked to a hammer attack suspect, according to prosecutors. The suspect was caught with three phones after assaulting someone near the residence where the bodies were discovered.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutors' Office, Lance Clowney II is currently charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to murder. Clowney has not been charged in connection with the three homicides. A judge denied Clowney's bond and remanded him to custody. After the court was informed of his conduct, a prosecutor told the court that Clowney was a threat to society, according to court records.

Clowney allegedly used a hammer to attack a person in southwest Detroit, not very far from the residence where the bodies were discovered. Clowney has been charged with assault, and authorities are investigating whether he was involved in the deaths of the three men whose bodies were discovered in the basement.

Clowney has previously been arraigned on three other assault counts, including allegedly assaulting a person with a hammer outside a house in southwest Detroit. He was convicted of carjacking and armed robbery in 2017 and remains on parole.

Clowney was released from prison in January 2025 after serving15 years for prior convictions. He pleaded guilty to assault and battery in May 2024 and was sentenced to 40 days in jail.

Witnesses and the victim identified Clowney as the attacker. The victim said he believed a hammer struck him. After police arrested Clowney, they found a baseball bat, three phones, and a hammer in his vehicle, which was parked near his home.

Duringthe arraignment on February 23, 2023, prosecutors said charges had not yet been filed against Clowney, in connection with the triple homicide investigation. Still, they believed that Clowney was connected to the case".

“Due to the assaultive nature, we believe that the defendant is connected to not only this assault with the complaining witness in this matter, but the connection to the three descendants in the basement," a prosecutor said duriClowney'sy's arraignment.

Police said they were investigating a missing person report in the area when a man approached them and said that he had been assaulted near the house where the bodies were found. The prosecutor said the victim reported being attacked with a hammer by a man identified as Clowney. Officers allegedly arrested Clowney with a hammer, three phones, and other things that can be used to carry out an assault.

Detroit police commander Rebecca McKay told reporters during a press conference, “It does not appear that the bodies were brought there. It appears that the assault happened inside the home.”