Kym Worthy
Encyclopedia
Kym L. Worthy is the current prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan
. She is the second African-American to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan, the first one being Stuart Dunnings III in Ingham County, Michigan
which includes Lansing. She has received a large amount of notice since filing charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
at the beginning of March, 2008, however this is only one of many cases her office has been involved in.
Worthy received her bachelors degree from the University of Michigan
and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame
.
Worthy started as an assistant prosecutor in Wayne County in 1984. She served in this position for ten years, trying over 800 cases. The most notable was the trial of Walter Budzyn and Larry Nevers in the beating death of Malice Green
. Among the cases Worthy had go to trial her conviction rate was over 90%. From 1994- January 2004 Worthy was a judge on the Wayne County Circuit Court.
Worthy was appointed Wayne County Prosecutor to replace Michael Duggan
who resigned to become the head of the Detroit Medical Center
.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is by far the busiest in Michigan. There are 83 counties in Michigan yet Worthy's office handles 52% of all felony cases in Michigan and 64% of all serious felony cases that go to jury trial.
Early in her time as county prosecutor Worthy was criticized for giving too many plea deals to people involved in gun crimes.
Worthy has also at times had her prosecutions hampered by the ineptitude of the Detroit Police Crime Lab.
In 2010 she appealed to the decision of providing Jean Paul Orlewicz a new trial. Orlewicz, 18 was convicted of first degree murder, after the Wayne county prosecutor had previously established an agreement with murderer, Alex Letkemann, in order to have a stronger case against Orlewicz.
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
. She is the second African-American to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan, the first one being Stuart Dunnings III in Ingham County, Michigan
Ingham County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 279,320 people, 108,593 households, and 63,744 families residing in the county. The population density was 500 people per square mile . There were 115,056 housing units at an average density of 206 per square mile...
which includes Lansing. She has received a large amount of notice since filing charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Kwame Kilpatrick
Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is a former mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Kilpatrick's mayorship was plagued by numerous scandals and rampant accusations of corruption, with the mayor eventually resigning after being charged with ten felony counts, including perjury and obstruction of justice...
at the beginning of March, 2008, however this is only one of many cases her office has been involved in.
Worthy received her bachelors degree from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.
Worthy started as an assistant prosecutor in Wayne County in 1984. She served in this position for ten years, trying over 800 cases. The most notable was the trial of Walter Budzyn and Larry Nevers in the beating death of Malice Green
Malice Green
Malice Green was a resident of Detroit, Michigan who died while in police custody after being arrested by Detroit police officers Walter Budzyn and Larry Nevers on November 5, 1992 during a traffic stop. Both officers were later convicted for Green's death. The official cause of death was ruled...
. Among the cases Worthy had go to trial her conviction rate was over 90%. From 1994- January 2004 Worthy was a judge on the Wayne County Circuit Court.
Worthy was appointed Wayne County Prosecutor to replace Michael Duggan
Michael Duggan
Michael Duggan began his career writing in 1981 for the TV show Hill Street Blues and then moved on to shows such as St. Elsewhere and Law & Order. He began producing television shows in 1984 with Miami Vice and Midnight Run...
who resigned to become the head of the Detroit Medical Center
Detroit Medical Center
The Detroit Medical Center, located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has more than 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University...
.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is by far the busiest in Michigan. There are 83 counties in Michigan yet Worthy's office handles 52% of all felony cases in Michigan and 64% of all serious felony cases that go to jury trial.
Early in her time as county prosecutor Worthy was criticized for giving too many plea deals to people involved in gun crimes.
Worthy has also at times had her prosecutions hampered by the ineptitude of the Detroit Police Crime Lab.
In 2010 she appealed to the decision of providing Jean Paul Orlewicz a new trial. Orlewicz, 18 was convicted of first degree murder, after the Wayne county prosecutor had previously established an agreement with murderer, Alex Letkemann, in order to have a stronger case against Orlewicz.