A domestic violence expert looked at dash cam video for 24 Hour News 8 Thursday that showed the Grand Rapids police response to an incident that allegedly happened the same day
Latrice Maze disappeared.
Dash cam video played at a Wednesday preliminary hearing showed a Grand Rapids police officer responding to a domestic dispute call that day, just hours before
Jahleel Hoskins allegedly murdered his girlfriend Maze.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk told 24 Hour News 8 on the phone Thursday that the officer did everything he could have done without having a crystal ball.
"You have to have probable cause," Belk told 24 Hour News 8.
He said there was no evidence of physical injuries, Maze wasn't afraid for her safety and she did not want to leave the home she and Hoskins shared.
Belk also said he believes the city's mandatory arrest policy in cases of domestic violence has been a deterrent and has also helped victims.
Knowing how it ends, the video is difficult to watch, especially for
Executive Director of Safe Haven Ministries Jill Harkema. She's a woman who sees victims of domestic violence everyday.
"To know that this person who is a mother and a woman, a sister, a daughter was alive and in a very dangerous situation and did not dare to tell the police what was going on in her life -- it just breaks your heart," she said.
Harkema watched the video, but said she would not point fingers. She said she doesn't know the specifics of the case or the family involved, so she can't comment on whether there is more the officer could have done.
The
video shows an officer talking to both Maze and Hoskins. He got the story from both of them, checked both for injuries and offered both a ride away from the home several times.
Given the fact that there was no evidence that either had been physically injured, Harkema said there was only so much police could do. She went on to say organizations like hers, which specializes in helping women experiencing domestic violence, are similarly hindered if a victim doesn't want help.
"We take our cues from her, just as the police did. And we can't forcibly make somebody come to our shelter, nor can we hold them there against their wishes. We're here to help people who seek us out, but we can't force that help on anyone," she said.
Harkema said it's important not to judge a victim in this type of situation.
"One thing we are careful not to do is pass judgment on people who make decisions everyday about how they're going to survive. Sometimes they're the ones that know best what will set him off," said Harkema. "I think it's important for the community to know that a person who is living in a domestic violence situation is walking on eggshells every day of her life. She's afraid that making one bad move could end her life, or cause her more serious injury, and so often she makes decisions that she thinks will not rock the boat. We don't always understand those decisions, we don't always even approve of them, but we're not living in her world."
Harkema said it's important if friends and neighbors speak up to the victim if they suspect domestic violence may be going on.
"If you have some suspicions, find a safe place where you can ask, 'Are you OK? I worry about your safety and I want you to know I'm here to help you,'" said Harkema. She said a victim may not respond right away, but possibly might in the future.
Hoskins, meanwhile, is expected back in court to continue his preliminary hearing June 17.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday testimony alleged a Grand Rapids man admitted to family and friends that he killed his girlfriend Latrice Maze and put her body in a trash bin.
Jahleel Hoskins, 25, was charged with open murderand evidence tampering in early May in the death of Maze, 26.
The Grand Rapids mother of five went missing on March 19 in the area of the apartment she shared with Hoskins near Burton Street and Division Avenue SW. Police initially classified her disappearance as a missing persons case, but said in April that it had turned into a criminal investigation and that Maze was likely dead.
Gregory Shanklin, Hoskins’ cousin, said that about a month after the stabbing, Maze told Hoskins she was going to turn him into police over the incident.
Shanklin testified that while Maze was in the bathroom,Hoskins contemplated killing her because he was afraid that his domestic run-ins with her would hurt his parole status.
When Maze walked out of the bathroom, Hoskins allegedly choked her to death, according to Shanklin.
"I guess he choked her and then wrapped her body up in a sheet from her daughter’s room," Shanklin testified.
Shanklin himself is facing a perjury charge for lying in the case. He claimed he had lied to protect his cousin.
A second man, Destin Peak, one of Hoskins' friends, testified later in the proceedings that in a conversation with Hoskins, "he said he did her. He needed a favor."
He said Hoskins led him to believe Maze's body was in a "trash container." He said Hoskins asked him to "help him get rid of her."
Peak said Hoskins asked him when his trash was picked up at Peppercorn Apartments. Peak said, "every day."
He then testified that he saw Hoskins' van near a Dumpster at Peppercorn with its back hatch open and a trash container with him.
Peak said he was threatened by Hoskins' family members. He added that he did not want to testify or be involved with the case.
Maze's family members were emotional as Peak testified.
Police recorded 100 or more hours of Hoskins' conversations without his knowledge in the Kent County jail. Some of those recordings were played during the preliminary exam.
"They smart by the law, we smart by the street," Hoskins told someone during one of those secretly-recorded conversation.
"I ain't did s*** so they ain't gettin' no confession," Hoskins later told someone during secret conversation at jail. "I'm not stupid."
Police also showed dash cam video from when they were called to Maze and Hoskins' home on March 19 -- the same day authorities now say she was killed. In that video, officers were shown offering Maze a ride to a friend's house or a shelter, but she declined by saying "no, I'm fine."
One of the responding officers testified that Maze was "very quiet," while Hoskins was "a little bit more agitated about the domestic dispute.
"If it gets hot and heated, one of you should walk away or call the police back," one officer said before leaving the home.
Neighbor Nicole Martinez testified she had seen Maze with "a black eye or two" in the past and that she heard "yelling and screaming" regularly at Maze and Hoskins' home.
Latrice Maze's mother Wanda Rose was visibly emotional when she took the stand. Maze's aunt Theresa Ezell, then testified Hoskins called her and said "she's missing" on the day Maze and Hoskins argued.
The hearing adjourned for the day without coming to a conclusion. It is scheduled to continue on June 17.
