Court reopens case after broken promise

DETROIT (AP) -- A Wayne County judge has been ordered to take another look at a case after sentencing a man to a higher punishment than promised. Lionel Turner got a minimum sentence of 18 years in prison for kidnapping and other crimes in 2009. The Michigan Supreme Court says he was "gratuitously" promised a much lower sentence by Judge James Callahan if he would plead guilty -- but then didn't get the benefit. The court has told Callahan to take another look. Turner's former attorney Susan Walsh says a deal is a deal. Justice Marilyn Kelly agreed with sending the case back to Wayne County. But she wanted to explicitly order Callahan to impose the minimum sentence or allow the 18-year-old Turner to withdraw his guilty plea. Published: Wed, May 18, 2011