SAGINAW, MI — With his trial a week away, a Saginaw man accused of barging into an apartment and shooting a sleeping man in his face opted to accept a plea deal rather than take his chances with a jury. As a result, he is facing at least 25 years in prison.
Roy V. Adkins III, 29, on Monday, Aug. 15, appeared before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Manvel Trice III to plead no contest to all six charges he faced — assault with intent to murder, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, felon in possession of a firearm, and three counts of felony firearm. Adkins pleaded as a fourth-time habitual offender, meaning his mandatory minimum sentence on the assault with intent to murder count will be 25 years.
Per the plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending Adkins serve at least 28 years, plus a consecutive two-year stint on the felony firearm convictions, said Saginaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Blair N. Stevenson.
Adkins’ trial was to begin Aug. 22.
As Adkins pleaded no contest rather than guilty, he did not verbally admit to having committed any crimes. Trice relied on other documentation to enter convictions on the record.
The shooting in question occurred in April 2021. Prior to that, Adkins was having a dispute with his child’s mother, who had a new boyfriend, Stevenson said.
About 6:30 a.m. on April 16, 2021, Adkins went to his child’s mother’s apartment on North Hamilton Street, kicked in the door, went up to her 36-year-old male cousin as he slept on a couch, and shot him once in his face, Stevenson said. Adkins fled after the shooting.
No one else was in the apartment at the time, including Adkins’ child’s mother as she was not staying there at the time due to her fear of him, Stevenson said.
“It’s not clear why he shot the cousin,” Stevenson said. “The victim has no idea why he was shot.”
The wounded man left the apartment and walked down the street to call 911. Eventually, a good Samaritan driving by pulled over, picked up the man, and drove him to a local hospital, Stevenson said.
The injured man was later airlifted to Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Initially listed in critical condition, the man survived the shooting.
Judge Trice is to sentence Adkins at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 26.
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