Detroit, MI – Lance Clowney II has been charged in a violent hammer assault in Southwest Detroit, as prosecutors say he is believed to be connected to a brutal triple homicide discovered inside a nearby home.
RELATED: Triple Homicide Discovered In Basement Of Southwest Detroit Home
Clowney was arraigned Monday in Wayne County on three felony assault charges after allegedly striking a man with a hammer outside a residence in Southwest Detroit last week. During the hearing, a Wayne County assistant prosecutor told the court that while formal homicide charges have not yet been authorized, investigators believe Clowney is connected to the deaths of three men whose bodies were found in the basement of a home on Edsel Street.
“Due to the assaultive nature, we believe the defendant is connected to not only this assault with the complaining witness in this matter, but the connection to three decedents in the basement,” the prosecutor told the judge during his arraignment.
Detroit police were originally called to the Edsel Street residence for a missing persons report. While officers were at the location, they were approached by an individual who reported being assaulted inside the home. When officers entered the residence, they discovered the bodies of three men in their 60s and 70s in the basement. Authorities later said the victims appeared to have been brutally assaulted and had been dead for approximately one day. Their bodies were reportedly covered with sheets and dirty clothing.
In the separate assault case, prosecutors allege Clowney attacked a man with a hammer outside a home in the same area. He is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and a third felony assault count. Witnesses and the victim identified him as the suspect. When he was taken into custody, police said they located a baseball bat, three cell phones, and a hammer inside his vehicle.
Clowney was previously convicted in 2017 of carjacking and armed robbery and was paroled in January of 2025. Because of the violent nature of the allegations and his prior record, the court denied bond and he remains lodged in the Wayne County Jail.
Records list variations of his name including Lance Alan Clowney II and Lance Alan Clowney III. He also has previously been identified as using the alias Jamal Williams and Jaylin Williams.
Records also document several identifying tattoos, including “Only I Can Judge Me” across his back with imagery of Lady Liberty holding a gun, a cross on his center chest, additional chest tattoos reading “Fear none,” “Evlove,” “DBD,” and “Jugg life,” along with images of guns and a cross, rolls of money tattooed on his left forearm, a shark emerging from water on his lower right forearm, and “Michigan” tattooed along his right rib area.
At this time, Clowney faces only the assault charges. Prosecutors indicated additional charges connected to the triple homicide investigation could be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
Discuss this on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18bunWjtx2/