WARREN, Mich. – A Warren police officer charged in connection to a crash that killed two men in September appeared briefly in court on Thursday.
James Edward Burke was in court on Thursday, March 6, 2025, for a probable cause conference.
A discussion between attorneys and the judge was held privately in judge John Chmura’s chambers where they agreed to schedule a preliminary examination for 9:30 a.m. on May 1, 2025. Bail was also continued.
Burke is accused of driving his police vehicle at a high speed, without using the emergency lights of sirens, when he struck a Dodge Durango at 5 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2024, on Schoenherr Road at Prospect Road.
Cedric Hayden, Jr., 34, and Dejuan Pettis, 33, were both killed in the crash, and Burke’s partner was injured.
Police said the officers were chasing a suspect wanted in connection to a break-in at a business in the area a few hours before the crash. Hayden and Pettis were not suspects.
Burke has been charged with two counts of manslaughter with a motor vehicle, a moving violation causing serious impairment of a body function, and willful neglect of duty.
Burke and the other officer in the patrol car were both placed in administrative leave.
---> Warren officer charged with manslaughter in crash that killed 2 men
Family of victims push for higher charges
The parents of Cedric Hayden, Jr., spoke to Local 4 following Thursday’s hearing. They expressed frustration with the repeated delays in this case and are pushing for higher charges.
“This man go home every day to his family, every day. He gets to hold his family. I can’t hold my son. I hold his memories, but I can’t hold my son. This man going home every day, get to go home today again. And that’s not right,” Hayden’s father said. “He killed two people. Two people that I loved.”
Hayden’s mother said they just want a fair trial and expressed frustration that Burke remains out on bond.
“We need justice for these kids, that’s all we want. that’s it,” she said. “They want to keep shutting us up, no it’s time for us to talk.”
James Harrington of Fieger Law is representing the families of the victims.
“We said this was going to happen. We said that the officers were going to be undercharged and they were. Former officer Burke was undercharged, he should have been charged with second-degree murder,” Harrington said. “This has happened before with members of the community that weren’t police, that weren’t backed by the blue, were charged with second-degree murder. That man was out on a million dollar bond, this man here today, this former officer, no bond. Personal recognizance. That is not OK.”
---> Everything we know: New video shows Warren crash that left 2 men dead, injured police officers
